UC-NRLF 


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GAYUGA  LAKB. 

The  passenger  boats  KATE  MORGAN  and  AURORA  have  been 
recently  refitted  and  repainted,  and  are  now  running  regularly  for  the 
accommodation  of  passengers  on  this  beautiful  lake. 

THE  KATE  MORGAN, 

•  Capt.  Goodrich, 

Leaves  Ithaca  at  7  o'clock,  on  the  arrival  of  the  morning  train  from 

Owego. 

Returning,  leaves  Cajniga  at  3  o'clock,  on  the  arrival  of  the  cars 
from  the  East,  and  arrives  in  time  for  the  evening  train  to  Owego. 

THE   AURORA, 

Capt.  Dryer, 
Leaves  Ithaca  at  3  p.m.  ;  leaves  Cayuga  at  8  a.m. 

Other  steamers  can  be  chartered  for  the  accommodation  of  pleas- 
ure-parties. 

Each  of  our  steamers  has  recently  been  provided  with  one  of  Fran- 
cis's Patent  Metallic  Life-Boats. 

Travelers  wishing  to  spend  a  short  time  at 

T^lUGM^JTjrOCK   F^LLS, 

can  be  accommodated  by  taking  the  morning  boat  at  either  Ithaca 
or  Cayuga,  and  returning  on  the  boat  in  the  evening. 

As  the  trains  connect  at  Owego,  visitors  can  now  leave  Taughan- 
nock  at  6  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  arrive  in  New- York  at  V  o'clock 
the  next  morning. 

No  traveler  should  neglect  the  opportunity  of  taking  a  trip  on  this 
beautiful  lake. 


sV 


THE 


FALLS  OF  TAUGIIANNOCK: 


CONTAINING   A 


COMPLETE  DESCRIPTION 


OF   THIS    THE 


WITH  HISTORICAL  AND  DESOEIPTIVE  SKETCHES. 

) 


LEWIS    HALSEY. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  VIEWS  OF  THE  FALLS. 


John  A.  Gray  &  Green,  Printers,  16  and  18  J'acob  STREii".    ' 
MDCCCLXVI. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1866,  by 

LEWIS    HALSEY, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New- York. 


TO 

WILLIAM  H.  GOODWIN,  D.D., 

RKGENT   OF   THE    UNIVERSITY   OF   THE    STATE    OF   NEW-YORK, 
THIS  LITTLE  VOLUME 

Mat   it  rrcall  for  him  many   Pleasant  Memories  of  Boyhood  ! 


iviies^eii 


II^DEX 


Accidents,  . 
Ancient  Fortifications, 
Auburn, 
Aurora,  . 


Beardsley,  J.  C, 
Beautiful  View, 
Bogart's  Definition, 
Bogart,  W.  H., 
Breaking  up  of  Ice, 
Byron's  Velino, 

Canassatego, 
Canassatego,  Speech  of, 
Canoga,  (Genogeh,) 
Casts  of  Striae, 
Cataract  House,  . 
Caves,     .... 
Cayuga  Bridge,  (Wasguas,) 
Cayuga  Lake, 
Cheever's  Article, 
Civilization  of  Indians, 

Dedication, 

Delawares,  the. 

Devil's  Punch  Bowl,   . 

Dumont,  W.  B,,      . 

Dust  Fall  of  Staubbach,     . 


Page 

43 

.    57 

73 

.    70 


.  68 
70 

.  84 
26,37 

.  28 
73 

.  40 
14 

.     59 

5 

.  68 
43 

.  75 
25 


Excavation  of  Chasm, 
Extract  from  Poem, 

Fall  No.  2, 
Falling  Rocks, 
Falls  House, 
Farmerville,    , 
Fight  with  Bear, 
Formation  of  the  Rock, 
Fossils, 

Ganungueuguch,    . 
Geology  of  Taughannock, 
Goodwin,  George,  . 

"         Richard,   . 
Goodwin's  Point,   . 
Gothic  Door, 
Gun  Factory,  the  Old,   . 


Halseyville,    . 
Hamilton,  Rev.  D.  H., 
High  Water,  . 
Historical,  . 

Indian  Apple-Orchard, 

"      Village,    . 
Ithaca,    .        .        ,        , 
Iroquois  Confederacy, 


Page 

43 

.    14 

44 
.    21 

53 
.     71 

29 

.     81 

82 

.    71 

78 
.     61 

28 
.     59 

22 
.    45 

.    75 

56 

.    33 

56 

.  60 
59 

.  70 
60 


INDEX. 


Page 

Page 

Lady  of  the  Mist,  . 

.    21 

Song  of  the  Waterfall, 

86 

Les  Trois  ScEurs, 

50 

Staubbach,      ..... 

16 

Lodi,        .... 

.    71 

Sullivan's  Expedition, 

59 

Long  Staircase,  . 

17 

Sulphur  Spring,      .... 

29 

Lower  Ravine, 

.    IT 

Table  Rock,         .... 

43 

Marsh's  Point,     . 

40 

Tammany, 

67 

Means  of  Access,   . 

.    46 

Taughannock,  (an  Indian  Chief,) 

69 

Mecklinburgh,     . 

71 

"             Falls,  Cayuga  Lake 

,  65 

Merriman,  Col.  T.  A.,     . 

.    22 

"              by  Moonlight,     . 

47 

Nameless  Hermit  of  Taughannock,  26 

"             In  Winter,      . 

"             the  River  and  Fall, 

35 

87 

Name  of  Fall, 

.     61 

Taughanic  Falls,  (Poem,) 

93 

Ode  to  Taughannock,    . 

.        .        91 

To  Taughannock,        .        .        . 
Treman,  Abner,      .        . 

89 
60 

Parker's  Poem, 

.    93 

Trumansburgh,  .        .        , 

71 

Perry  City, 

71 

Tully  Limestone,   .... 

82 

Pictures  of  Falls,   . 
Poetry  of  Taughannock, 

.        .    37 

86 

Upper  Ravine,    .        .        •        . 

43 

Pool  below  Fall,      . 
Powhatan,  . 
Pratt's,    .        . 
Preface, 

.    21 

72 

.    71 

9 

View  of  Cayuga  Lake,  . 

Views  from  Above,     . 

,'*        "     Ravine, 

39 
52 

55 

Rainbow, 
Red  Jacket, 

.21 
73 

Waterburgh,        .... 
Welch's  Account,   .... 
Weyburn,  Gecrge,      . 

74 
22 
29 

Senecayuga,    . 

.    71 

"          Satiiuel, 

80 

PEEFAOE. 


The  want  of  a  description  of  and  guide  to  the  most 
lofty  of  the  many  cataracts  of  the  State  of  New-York, 
and  one  of  the  most  beautiful  waterfalls  in  the  world, 
has  been  felt  by  all  who  have  ever  visited  Taughan- 
nock. 

This  want  the  present  publication  aims  to  supply. 

If  this  Tribute  to  Taughannock  shall  be  deemed  an 
offering  worthy  of  the  theme  by  those  to  whom  the 
Falls  are  familiar,  and  shall  be  the  means  of  making 
this  favored  spot  better  known  to  the  lovers  of  beau- 
tiful scenery,  the  design  of  the  author  will  be  accom- 
plished. 


TAUGHATifNOOK 


To  tlie  true  lover  of  JSTature,  no  spot  is  more  at- 
tractive, no  landscape  more  beautiful,  than  that 
adorned  by  her  bountiful  hand  with  waterfalls,  and 
wild  ravines,  and  stately  forests. 

Unlike  other  and  less  favored  landscapes,  that 
which  adds  to  its  attractions  the  music  and  bril- 
liancy of  cascades  and  cataracts  is  ever  unfolding 
new  beauties.  But  when  a  waterfall,  whose  vast 
height  adds  sublimity  to  its  beauty,  grand  and 
gloomy  gorges,  and  picturesque  views  of  lake 
scenery  unsurpassed  outside  of  Sw^itzerland,  each, 
at  the  same  time,  present  their  peculiar  attractions, 
the  admiring  traveler,  delighted  by  the  beauty  and 
awed  by  the  sublimity  of  the  landscape,  realizes 
that  he  has  discovered  one  of  the  most  favored 
haunts  of  nature. 

Such  is  the  wald  and  varied  scenery  which  turns 


12'  ;  ;  ,    taughAi^nock. 

the  attention  of  the  traveler  to  Taiighannock,  and, 
as  the  fame  of  the  fall  spreads  abroad,  attracts  each 
year  a  greater  throng  of  visitors. 

Eich  in  romantic  glens,  charming  lakes,  and 
magnificent  cataracts,  the  Empire  State  may  well 
be  called  the  Switzerland  of  America.  The  most 
lofty,  and,  in  many  respects,  the  most  beautiful  of 
her  cataracts  is  Taughannock,  situated  on  a  small 
stream  in  Tompkins  County,  three  fourths  of  a 
mile  from  Cayuga  Lake,  and  ten  miles  from  Ithaca. 

The  stream,  known  as  Halsey  Creek^  from  the 
name  of  one  of  the  first  settlers  upon  its  banks,  is 
one  of  the  largest  of  the  watercourses  which  inter- 
sect the  fertile  farming  lands  lying  between  the 
twin  lakes  Cayuga  and  Seneca.  Taking  its  rise  in 
the  highlands  midway  between  them,  it  flows  in  an 
easterly  course  until  at  length  it  unites  its  waters 
with  those,  of  the  calm  Cayuga. 

riowiug  with  a  gradual  and  gentle  descent 
through  a  rich  and  flourishing  country,  its  banks 
are  dotted  with  numerous  mills  and  manufacturing 
establishments. 


*  In  our  atlases  and  geographies  we  find  the  name  thus  given,  but 
the  stream  should  have  the  same  name  as  the  fall. 


TAUGHANNOCK.  13 

At  the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the 
lake  it  would  appear  that  nature  had  determined  to 
check  the  stream  in  its  further  progress  by  erecting 
an  impassable  barrier.  This  is  a  rocky  ledge,  rising 
some  fifty  or  sixty  feet  directly  in  the  path  of  the 
little  river.  But  the  stream,  by  long  continued 
labor,  beginning,  perhaps,  when  darkness  was  yet 
upon  the  face  of  the  deep,  has  succeeded  in  excavat- 
ing an  enormous  channel,  from  one  hundred  to  four 
hundred  feet  in  depth,  and  four  hundred  feet  across 
at  its  lower  extremity.  Through  this  yawning 
chasm  the  victorious  waters  course  triumphantly 
onward  toward  their  goal  beyond. 

This  vast  gorge,  with  its  frowning  cliffs  and 
towering  walls  of  granite,  their  grimness  relieved 
here  and  there  by  a  bouquet  of  evergreens,  forms  the 
ravine  of  Taughannock. 

Half  a  mile  after  entering  this  gorge,  on  account 
of  a  difference  in  the  structure  of  the  rock,  while 
the  height  of  the  banks  remain  undiminished,  the 
stream  falls  perpendicularly  two  hundred  and  fifteen 
feet  into  a  rocky  basin,  thus  forming  a  cataract  more 
than  fifty  feet  higher  than  Niagara. 

The  rock  over  which  the  water  plunges  projects 
in  the  center  and  is  contracted  on  either  side,  form- 


14  TAUGHANNOCK. 

ing  a   triangle  wliicli   measures  some   ninety  feet 
-  across. 

The  following  jocular  but  nearly  accurate  de- 
scription of  Taughannock  was  published,  several 
years  ago,  in  "  Glea^son's  Pictorial,"  a  Boston  maga- 
zine : 

*'  It  lies  about  (I  like  to  be  particular) 

One  mile  from  Lake  Cayuga's  western  shore, 

On  either  side  the  rocks  rise  perpendicular 

Three  hundred  ninety  feet  and  something  more  ; 

And  all  the  stream,  diffused  in  drops  orbicular, 
Descends  in  clouds  and  falling  mists  that  pour 

Two  hundred  feet  and  ten,  or  nearly  so, 

Before  they  form  again  the  stream  below." 

The  following  eloquent  description  of  the  ravine 
and  falls  was  written  by  the  celebrated  author  and 
orator,  George  B.  Cheever,  who  visited  them  in 
1859: 

GEORGE    B.    CHE^VEe's    DESCEIPTIOA'. 

"  The  Staubbach  of  Trumansburgh  is  worth 
going  a  great  distance  to  see. 

"  It  is  nearly  a  third  higher  than  any  other 
cataract  in  our  State. 

"  At  present  it  is  the  very  perfection  of  beauty. 


TAUGHANKOCK.  15 

while  the  natural  mountain  gorge,  midway  in  the 
progress  of  which  it  tumbles  over  the  crags,  is  one 
of  the  grandest  and  most  picturesque  in  the  world 
out  of  Switzerland.  It  reminded  me  much  of  the 
lovely  and  romantic  pass  above  Chiavenna,  in  the 
Italian  Alps.  The  gorge  is  at  least  four  hundred 
feet  in  depth,  the  mountain  sides  rising  jagged  and 
perpendicular,  though  with  the  green  forests  here 
and  there  clinging  to  their  faces,  trees  apparently 
rooted  in  the  rocks  without  a  particle  of  soil  to 
nourish  them,  and  declivities  covered  with  luxuriant 
w^ild  shrubbery  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the 
gulf.  Here  and  there  the  mighty  crags  advance 
half-way  across  the  ravine,  round  and  perfect  as 
battlemented  castles  or  solid  piers,  that  at  some 
distant  age  might  have  supported  a  stupendous 
natural  bridge.  At  the  bottom  of  the  ravine  and 
at  the  foot  of  the  fall,  looking  up  the  great  height, 
and  watching  the  extremely  graceful  and  beautiful 
descent  of  the  spray,  (for  the  water  begins  to  break 
into  spray  almost  at  the  moment  w^hen  it  begins  its 
plunge  over  the  precipice,)  you  feel  that  nowhere 
in  the  world  can  it  be  possible  that  a  more  perfectly 
beautiful  waterfall  can  be  in  existence. 

"  The  jagged  rock  rift,  through  which  the  river 


16  TAUGHANNOCK. 

rolls  before  it  makes  the  plunge,  is  some  two  Imn- 
dred  feet  in  depth,  the  rocky  channel  becoming  a 
triangle  at  the  brink,  and  the  water  plunges  some 
two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  more  to  the  bottom, 
wliere  the  ravine  is  upwards  of  four  hundred  feet 
perpendicular.  The  fall  is,  in  truth,  the  Staubach 
of  Sw^itzerland  most  absolutely  reproduced,  and  of 
concentrated  beauty  and  grandeur. 

"  When  the  stream  is  swollen  almost  to  the  ut- 
most capacity  of  the  channel  by  autumnal  rains,  or 
a  spring  freshet,  the  beauty  of  the  cataract  changes 
into  overwhelming  sublimity.  It  is  clothed  wdth 
the  majesty,  grandeur,  and  thunder  of  Niagara. 

"  At  present  you  miss  the  roar,  the  voice,  the 
sound  of  many  w^aters,  the  thunder  shaking  the 
earth ;  because  the  volume  of  water  is  not  deep 
enough  to  preserve  itself  consolidated  dow^n  the 
dizzy  height  of  a  plunge  so  tremendous.  The 
coquetting  air  takes  the  cataract  by  its  curls  on  the 
very  forehead  of  the  crags,  and  tosses  and  frays  it 
into  millions  of  tiny,  fleecy  jets,  and  tangled,  shin- 
ing threads  of  diamonds  and  dew\y  light. 

"  Each  drop  gives  way  to  tlie  temptation  of  a 
separate  display,  and  with  white  wings,  as  of  a 
thousand   doves   or   albatrosses,    the   vision   lights 


LOWEK   RAVINE.  17 

softly  at  the  bottom  of  the  gorge,  with  no  more 
noise  than  the  wind  makes  when  it  stirs  the  leaves 
of  a  mighty  forest. 

"  But  when  the  volume  of  water  is  deep  enough 
in  its  grand  and  gloomy  channel,  all  this  by-play  of 
its  forces  is  constrained  and  concentrated  in  a  unity 
of  purpose  and  of  plunge,  and  it  rages  and  roars 
down  in  unceasing  thunder  as  well  as  eternal  foam. 
The  sublimity  then  is  almost  terrific." 

LOWER  RAVINE. 

To  obtain  the  best  view  of  the  falls,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  descend  to  the  bed  of  the  ravine,  and  fol- 
low it  upward  until  we  stand  at  the  foot  of  the 
majestic  column  of  water,  which  towers  two  hun- 
dred feet  above  us.  The  wearisome  descent  of  the 
steep  stairway  is  forgotten  in  the  enjoyment  of  the 
grand  and  beautiful  scenery  with  which  we  are 
tliere  surrounded. 

Leaving  the  Taughannock  House,  (which  will  be 
described  hereafter,)  we  follow  a  path  winding  along 
the  bank  of  the  ravine  nntil  we  arrive  at  a  long, 
steep,  and  crooked  flight  of  steps.  This  was  built 
by  the    present   proprietor   of  the   Taughannock 


18  LOWER   RAVINE. 

House,  in  1859,  and  is  soon  to  be  replaced  by 
another  and  more  substantial  staircase. 

Clambering  downward,  remarking  as  we  descend 
the  course  of  a  landslide  which  swept  away  a  por- 
tion of  the  steps,  we  at  length  arrive  at  the  bottom 
of  the  ravine. 

Here  we  find  ourselves  entering,  apparently,  the 
atmosphere  of  another  climate.  The  ravine,  al- 
though from  two  hundred  to  four  hundred  feet  in 
width,  is  shut  in  by  walls  so  lofty  that,  except  at 
midday,  a  large  portion  of  its  bed  is  untouched  by 
the  rays  of  the  sun.  The  air,  delightfully  cool, 
fragrant  with  the  perfume  of  wild  roses,  and  vocal 
with  the  music  of  sweetly  murmuring  waters, 
seems  to  instill  new  life  and  vigor  into  our  veins. 
Venerable  forest-trees  overshadow  us  with  their 
rich  and  variegated  foliage,  and  tower  upward  in  a 
vain  endeavor  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  rising  and 
setting  sun.  Creeping  vines  twine  luxuriantly 
around  and  above  us.  Brilliant  flowers  and  hand- 
some mosses  are  seen  on  every  side.  By  a  winding 
path,  we  advance  toward  the  Great  Fall,  now,  for  a 
moment,  threading  the  thick  mazes  of  the  over- 
shadowing forest  of  evergreens ;  now,  as  we  pass 
an  opening,  delaying  to  gaze  upward  at  the  Lilipu- 


LOWER  RAVINE.  19 

tian  specimens  of  humanity  on  the  bank  above, 
imable  to  recognize  them  as  our  friends  who  are 
watching  our  onward  progress;  now,  reposing  be- 
neath the  sheltering  branches,  seated  upon  the  fall- 
en trunk  of  a  forest  tree.  From  time  to  time,  we 
cross,  on  rustic  bridges,  the  stream  which  meanders 
through  the  charming  ravine  as  if  conscious  of  its 
beauties,  and  unwilling  to  bid  them  a  final  farewell. 
At  length  a  sudden  curve  in  the  banks  brings  us 
unexpectedly  in  full  view  of  the  Great  Fall.  Here 
the  chasm  widens,  and  the  more  lofty  walls  form  a 
spacious  amphitheatre.  On  either  side  the  granite 
masses  tower  majestically  upward,  and  seem  to 
shut  us  in  by  an  impassable  barrier.  Before  us, 
from  the  frowning  cliff  hundreds  of  feet  in  height, 
the  mad  waters  take  their  terrible  leap.  The 
mighty  white  column  seems  clothed  with  awe-in- 
spiring grandeur.  The  water  as  it  approaches  the 
edge  of  the  fall  is  of  a  deep  green  color ;  as  soon 
as  it  leavesthe  edge  it  spangles  into  a  thousand 
transparent  shapes,  then,  mixing  and  commingling, 
it  is  dashed  into  clouds  of  snowy  foam,  and  de- 
scends mists  to  the  depths  below. 

We  never  became  wearied  with  gazing  upon  the 
grand   and  beautiful  picture  which   looms   up   so 


20  LOWER   RAVINE. 

majestically  before  us.  We  are  continually  dis- 
covering new  attractions.  We  clamber  up  the 
steep  bank  to  view  tlie  picture  from  another  stand- 
point. Now  we  decide  in  favor  of  a  perspective 
view ;  now  we  advance,  through  a  storm  of  misty 
rain,  to  the  very  face  of  the  fall.  Everywhere  we 
are  delighted.  Everywhere  we  are  impressed  by 
the  beauty  and  sublimity  of  the  scene  before  us. 

We  recall  Byron's  unrivaled  description  of  Ve- 
lino  : 

*'  The  roar  of  waters  ! — from  the  headlong  height 
[Taughannock]  cleaves  the  wave-worn  precipice  ; 

The  fall  of  waters !  rapid  as  the  light 

The  flashing  mass  foams,  shaking  the  abyss ; 

The  hell  of  waters  !  where  they  howl  and  hiss, 
And  boil  in  endless  torture ;  while  the  sweat 

Of  their  great  agony,  wrung  out  from  this 

Their  Phlegethon,  curled  round  the  rocks  of  jet 
That  gird  the  gulf  around,  in  pitiless  horror  set, 

"Ai^d  mounts  in  spray  the  skies,  and  thence  again 
Returns  in  an  unceasing  shower,  which  round. 
With  its  unemptied  cloud  of  gentle  rain, 

Is  an  eternal  April  to  the  ground, 
Making  it  all  one  emerald  : — how  profound 
The  gulf!  and  how  the  giant  element 


THE   RAINBOW^  21 

From  rock  to  rock  leaps  with  delirious  bound, 

Crushing  the  cliffs,  which  downward  worn  and  rent 
With  his  fierce  footsteps,  yield  in  chasms  a  fearful  rent." 

THE  RAINBOW. 

"  Here,"  writes  a  visitor,  "  we  saw  distinctly  the 
prismatic  colors  of  the  rainbow,  mingled  with  the 
agitated  and  gold-green  waters." 

POOL  BELOW  THE  FALL. 

Below  the  fall,  and  flowing  to  the  foot  of  the 
perpendicular  rocks  on  the  right,  is  a  dark  pool, 
perhaps  an  hundred  feet  across,  and  from  twenty- 
five  to  forty  feet  in  depth. 

Large  masses  of  rock  are  frequently  dislodged 
from  the  lofty  banks,  by  the  action  of  the  winter 
frost  or  summer  rain,  and  thunder  downward  to 
the  ravine  below. 

THE  LADY  OF  THE  MIST.  ^ 

On  the  right  (or  north)  of  the  fall  may  be  seen, 
when  the  water  is  low,  a  wonderful  specimen  of 
Nature's  handiwork.  It  is  the  apparent  represent- 
ation in  the  rock  of  a  female,  in  a  half  sitting,  half 


22  TH^   GOTHIC   DOOR. 

reclining  posture,  one  hand  resting  on  the  rock  by 
her  side,  while  with  the  other  she  withdraws  her 
drapery  from  contact  with  the  mist  and  spray. 
Upon  her  head  is  an  Egyptian  head-dress,^  or,  as 
it  sometimes  appears,  a  helmet,  resembling  those 
seen  in  ancient  pictures  of  Minerva. 

This  wonderful  conformation  in  the  rocks  was 
first  noticed  in  1865,  by  Colonel  T.  A.  Merriman, 
of  Auburn.  The  remarkably  distinct  outlines  of 
the  figure  can  be  easily  traced  by  the  visitor  stand- 
ing a  fourth  of  a  mile  away  on  the  bank  in  front  of 
the  Taughannock  House. 

THE  GOTHIC  DOOR. 

Towering  far  upward  on  the  right  of  the  fall  is 
a  deep  indentation  in  the  rocks,  bearing  a  striking 
resemblance  to  a  gigantic  Gothic  door,  its  lofty 
arch  rising  higher  than  even  the  fall  itself.  This 
singular  formation  is  alluded  to  in  the  beautiful 
poem  by  Mr,  Parker : 

"  I  love  to  think  that  in  thy  rocky  walls, 

Where  stands  the  strangely  perfect  Gothic  Door. 

*  "  Such  as  are  seen  on  the  numerous  bas-reliefs  in  the  catacombs, 
and  among  the  ruins  of  Egypt." 


MR.  Welch's  account.  23 

The  genii  have  reared  their  magic  halls, 

With  crystal  column  and  with  pearly  floor." 

On  account  of  the  frequent  changes,  produced 
by  the  crumbling  away  of  the  rocks,  the  Gothic 
door  has  lost  much  of  its  symmetry  and  beauty, 
but  the  resemblance  is  still  easily  traceable. 

The  following  extract  is  from  the  correspondence 
of  the  New-  York  Ohserver. 

MR.  WELCH'S  ACCOUNT. 

^'  But  there  is  a  feature  of  the  lake  scenery  yet  in 
store  for  us,  surpassing  any  thing  that  we  have  seen, 
alas,  too  often  unknown  to  the  tourist,  and  therefore 
passed  by  unnoticed,  which  would  itself  repay  the 
traveler  for  a  journey  across  the  State,  if  there  were 
nothing  else  worth  seeing  along  the  entire  way.  I 
refer  to  Taughannock  Falls,  ten  miles  below  the  head 
of  the  lake. 

'-  The  steamboat  landing  is  unpretentious  and  by 
no  means  attractive ;  but  the  number  that  lan4  there 
is  steadily  increasing,  and  will  continue  to  hereafter, 
as  it  becomes  better  known,  until  the  accommoda- 
tions shall  become  the  best  on  the  lake. 

"  A  few  rods  from  the  shore,  and  quite  out  of  sight 


2i:  MR.  Welch's  account. 

from  the  steamer,  the  tourist  is  suddenly  confronted 
by  the  mouth  of  a  grand  gorge,  three  hundred  feet 
deep,  perhaps  one  third  as  broad — between  perpen- 
dicular walls  of  solid  rock,  with  a  waterfall  pouring 
down  its  rocky  bed.  This  gorge  extends  back  for  a 
mile,  deepening  and  widening  into  the  heart  of  the 
mountain  with  fantastic  curves  and  overhanging 
cliffs,  and  a  frontlet  of  pines  on  either  brow.  The 
adventurous  pedestrian  may  thread  the  entire  gorge 
with,  perhaps,  the  single  risk  of  wet  feet  as  he  passes 
from  island  to  island  on  the  way. 

"  Before  he  reaches  the  second  or  grand  fall,  he 
will  observe  an  almost  perpendicular  ladder  of  more 
than  two  hundred  steps,  ascending  to  the  summit  of 
the  cliff.  If  he  decline  to  thread  the  entire  length 
of  the  ravine,  he  may  make  the  circuit  of  the  public 
road,  the  side  of  which  borders  the  brink  of  the 
gorge,  permitting  him  to  trace  its  windings  as  he 
proceeds,  and  look  down  into  its  dizzy  depths. 

"  Then  he  can  descend  from  the  road  by  the  jDcr- 
pendicular  ladder  to  the  bottom  of  the  ravine  on  his 
way  to  the  second  fall.  The  gorge  swells  npward 
and  around  him  into  a  magnificent  amphitheatre, 
echoing  and  reechoing  with  the  noise  of  the  distant 
rapid  and  fall.     Suddenly  there  breaks  upon   his 


MR.    WELCH'S   ACCOUNT.  25 

view  a  cataract,  making  a  single  leap  of  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  from  a  pathway  sixty  feet  wide 
and  a  hundred  feet  deep,  which  it  has  cut  through 
the  solid  rock.  Sometimes,  when  the  gorge  is  filled 
with  water,  it  is  a  raging  cataract,  shaking  the  firm 
hills  with  its  thunder.  Now,  when  the  stream  is 
low,  it  forms  one  of  the  most  beautiful  cascades  that 
any  land  can  boast.  It  resembles  the  Dust-Falls  of 
Staubbach,  which  is  the  pride  of  Switzerland ;  though 
inferior  in  height,  yet  it  is  superior  to  it  in  some 
other  respects ;  its  waters  are  nearer  milky  white, 
the  height  is  not  so  great  as  to  dash  it  completely  to 
dew-dust  in  its  fall ;  it  has  just  water  enough  to  re- 
tain some  consistency,  and  yet  descent  enough  to 
make  it  thin,  and  light,  and  soft,  as  a  pendent  vail 
of  snowy  gauze,  with  which  the  air  is  fondly  sporting 
and  which  occasional  gusts  from  below  lift  into  suc- 
cessive graceful  snowy  folds,  inwrought  with  colors 
of  the  rainbow,  which  float  awhile  before  the  eje 
ere  they  sink  into  the  seething  lakelet  that  circles 
below.  'No  words,  however,  can  convey  a  just  idea 
of  the  commingled  beauty  of  cascade,  precipice,  cliif, 
and  gorge;  the  pencil  lias  made  the  attempt,  but, 
in  the  sketches  I  have  seen,  has  sadly  failed  to  do 
it  justice. 


26  THE    HERMIT. 

"  Opposite  the  fall  stands  the  Taiighannock  house, 
for  the  accommodation  of  visitors.  From  either  story 
of  the  house  the  fall  is  visible,  through  the  leafy  trees. 
The  easy  swing  and  rustic  seats  are  each  arranged 
to  command  a  peculiar  view.  The  perfume  of  pine 
fills  the  air  with  healthy  fragrance,  and  its  whisper- 
ing music  floats  upon  the  breeze.  Unpretentious 
but  most  satisfactory  entertainment  cheers  the  vis- 
itor, and  prepares  him  for  an  after-dinner  stroll  to 
the  third  falls  or  succession  of  charming  cascades, 
eighty  rods  bej^ond,  which  should  by  no  means  be 
neglected,  for  these  alone  are  sufficient  to  repay  one's 
delay  at  Taughannock. 

"  My  only  regret  was  that  I  must  bid  adieu  so 
soon  to  the  lovely  scene.  It  was,  however,  with  the 
firm  resolve  that  w^henever  I  might  enjoy  a  sail  over 
Cayuga  Lake,  I  would  not  pass  Taughannock  by." 

THE  HERMIT. 

In  the  summer  of  1826,  there  appeared  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Trumansburgh  a  stranger.  If  one  knew,  or 
could  learn,  who  he  was  or  w^hence  he  came.  His 
w^hole  history  was  shrouded  in  obscurity.  The  story 
of  his  former  life  he  never  told ;  and  even  his  name 
and  home  remained  concealed. 


THE   HERMIT.  27 

Seeking  no  associates,  inviting  no  confidences,  and 
seeming  ever  to  avoid  the  society  of  men,  the  curiosity 
of  the  villagers  suffered  no  abatement  concerning 
him.     To  them  he  was  an  unsolved  enigma. 

In  a  short  time,  however,  the  stranger  disappeared, 
and  for  several  days  was  unheard  from ;  but,  on  ac- 
count of  his  eccentric  habits,  little  notice  was  taken 
of  his  departure. 

A  few  days  passed  by,  when  a  lad,  wandering  in 
the  ravine  of  Taughannock,  discovered  the  mangled 
body  of  the  recluse,  lying  near  the  water,  a  short 
distance  below^  the  fall. 

His  death  was  as  mysterious  as  had  been  his  life. 
None  ever  knew,  whether,  attracted  by  the  fascinating 
beauty  of  the  cataract,  he  had  ventured  too  far  and 
fallen  a  victim  to  his  rashness,  or  whether,  weary  of 
life,  he  had  madly  cast  himself  into  this  horrible 
abyss. 

By  stranger  hands  the  body  of  the  poor  unfortu- 
nate was  buried,  and  no  friend  came  to  w^eep  over 
his  grave.  He  had  lived  unknown  and  unloved — he 
died  unmourned. 

Such  was  the  sad,  mysterious  fate  of  the  Name- 
less Hekmit  of  Taughannock. 


28  CAVES. 


CAVES. 


Not  far  from  tlie  moutli  of  the  ravine,  and  half- 
way up  the  north  bank,  are  three  small  caves,  in 
length  from  forty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

They,  with  several  others  which  have  since  been 
filled  up,  were  excavated,  some  thirty  years  ago,  by 
a  superannuated  Methodist  minister,  Kichard  Good- 
win by  name,  wlio  worked  them  with  the  expecta- 
tion of  discovering  a  vein  of  coal. 

Although  not  extensive,  these  caves  must  have 
required  in  their  formation  severe  and  long-con- 
tinued labor. 

Comical  stories  are  told  of  this  curious  old  Eip 
Van  Winkle  of  the  neighborhood,  who,  regardless 
of  the  sneers  of  his  neighbors  and  the  disappoint- 
ment resulting  from  his  long  and  fruitless  labors, 
still  perseveringly  and  dogmatically  grubbed  away 
at  the  rock,  even,  as  is  said,  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

Once,  and  only  once,  was  the  old  man  blessed 
with  the  belief  that  his  weary  labors  were  about  to 
be  crowned  with  success,  and  even  then  he  was 
doomed  to  experience  a  sad  disappointment;  for 
some  mischievous  boys  had  placed  a  few  lumps  of 


FIGHT  WITH  A  BEAR  AT  TAUGHANNOCK.       29 

coal  in  one  of  his  cashes,  hoping  thus  to  excite  his 
expectations  and  stimulate  him  to  future  exertions. 

The  upper  and  largest  cave  is  the  only  one  now 
visited,  and  even  this  is  partially  filled  up  at  its  en- 
trance. When  once  inside  the  explorer  is  barely 
able  to  walk  upright,  and  discovers  the  damp  walls 
hung  with  bats,  who  are  seldom  disturbed  by  other 
visitors. 

In  the  ravine  below,  and  not  far  from  these  caves, 
are  two  small  sulphur  springs. 

FIGHT  WITH  A  BEAR  AT  TAUGHANNOCK. 

The  following  simple  yet  graphic  account  of  a 
fight  with  a  bear  in  the  ravine  of  Taughannock, 
was  contributed  by  Mr'.  George  Weyburn  to  the 
"  New- York  State  Historical  Collections,"  published 
by  John  M.  Barber  and  Henry  Howe  in  1844. 

It  is  amusing  to  note  what  importance  this  old 
veteran  gives'  to  the  least  incident  of  this  great 
'^  conflict^^^  which  he  describes  with  as  much  zeal 
and  earnestness  as  if  he  were  discoursing  concerning 
a  Waterloo,  upon  the  issue  of  which  the  destinies  of 
the  world  were  depending. 

His  enumeration  of  the  numbers,  positions,  and 
arms  of  the  combatants  is  worthy  of  a  careful  chro- 


80       FIGHT   WITH   A   BEAR  AT   TAUGHANNOCK. 

nicler,  and  lie  is  imable  to  conceal  his  joy  when, 
after  recommencing  "  the  conflict,"  his  friends  are 
at  length  left  "  masters  of  the  field." 

"  One  Smiday  evening  in  October,  about  forty- 
seven  years  ago,  as  my  father,  Mr.  Samuel  Wey- 
burn,  was  returning  from  feeding  his  horse  on  the 
north  side  of  the  creek,  near  where  the  distillery 
now  stands,  his  dog  started  up  a  bear  and  her  two 
cubs.  They  followed  their  course  up  the  hill  on 
the  south  side  of  the  creek  until  near  the  summit,  a 
few  rods  above  the  mill-site  fall,  where  the  cubs 
took  to  a  tree.  My  father  ran  to  the  house,  and, 
having  obtained  his  gun,  pursued.  Being  directed 
by  the  barking  of  the  dog,  he  passed  about  twenty 
rods  beyond  the  tree  in  which  the  cubs  were,  and 
there  he  found  the  bear  with  her  back  against  a 
tree,  standing  on  the  brink  of  a  gulf,  defending 
herself  from  the*  attacks  of  the  dog. 

"  He  fired,  and,  as  it  was  afterward  found,  broke 
one  of  her  fore-legs.  The  animal  retreated  into  the 
gulf,  and  was  seen  no  more  that  night. 

"  In  the  mean  time  my  mother,  brother,  and  my- 
self, who  had  followed  in  the  pursuit,  came  to  the 
tree  in  which  the  cubs  had  retreated,  who,  being 
frightened  at  the  report  of  the  gun  and  the  sound  of 


FIGHT  WITH  A   BEAE  AT  TAUGHANNOCK.       81 

our  voices,  began  to  cry  '  mam !  mam ! '  in  the 
most  affecting  tones,  strongly  resembling  the  human 
voice. 

"  My  mother  having  called  my  father,  he  shot  the 
cubs  and  returned  home.  The  next  morning,  my 
father  thinking  that  he  had  either  killed  or  severely 
wounded  the  animal,  for  the  want  of  a  better  wea- 
pon, (having  expended  his  only  charge  of  powder 
the  evening  previous,)  took  a  pitchfork,  and  pro- 
ceeded in  quest  of  the  enemy,  accompanied  by  my- 
self and  brother. 

''  I  was  armed  with  a  small  ax  ;  but  my  brother, 
not  being  equipped  for  war,  Avas  allowed  to  accom- 
pany us  bare-handed. 

"  Thus  accoutered  and  followed  by  our  dog,  we 
proceeded  to  within  about  forty  rods  of  the  great  fall, 
when  my  father,  apprised  of  the  nearness  of  the 
enemy  by  the  barking  of  the  dog,  ran  and  left  us  in 
the  rear. 

"  We  soon  came  in  sight  of  the  bear  and  dog,  who 
were  passing  from  the  left  wall  of  the  precipice 
across  the  basin  to  the  right,  and  ascended  almost 
to  the  perpendicular  rock,  a  distance  of  eighty  or 
one  hundred  feet. 

"  My  father,  climbing  up   lower   down,  was   en- 


o2        FIGHT   WITH   A   BEAR   AT   TAUGHANNOCK. 

abled  to  intercept  her  passage  in  consequence  of 
her  broken  limb. 

"  Here  the  action  again  commenced  by  his  giving 
her  three  thrusts  with  the  fork.  The  first  and 
second  were  near  the  heart,  the  third  struck  her 
shoulder-blade,  when  she  turned  upon  him,  and  he 
met  her  with  a  thrust  in  her  face,  putting  out  one 
of  her  eyes  with  one  prong  and  tearing  her  tongue 
with  the  other.  She  then  rushed  toward  him,  his 
feet  gave  way,  and  as  he  fell  she  caught  him  by  the 
clothes  near  his  breast. 

"  At  this  juncture  he  seized  her  and  threw  her 
below  him.  This  he  repeated  two  or  three  times  in 
their  descent  toward  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  dur- 
ing which  she  bit  him  in  both  his  legs  and  in  his 
arms.  At  the  bottom,  in  the  creek,  lay  a  stone 
whose  front  was  not  unlike  the  front  of  a  common 
cooking-stove,  the  water  reaching  to  the  top.  Near 
this^,  four  or  five  feet  distant,  stood  a  rock  on  the 
bank.  Into  this  snug  notch  it  was  his  gogd  luck  to 
throw  his  antagonist,  with  her  feet  and  claws  to- 
ward the  rock  in  the  stream.  In  this  situation  he 
succeeded  in  holding  her,  with  his  back  to  hers  and 
braced  between  the  rocks.     With  his  left  hand  he 


DURING  HIGH  WATER.  83 

held  her  by  the  back,  and  with  his  riglit  held  her 
by  the  neck,  until  I  came  up. 

I  struck  her  with  all  my  might  on  the  back  with 
the  ax.  At  this  my  father  sprang  from  her  and 
seized  his  fork.  The  bear  turned  toward  us  with  a 
shake  and  a  snort.  I  gave  her  a  severe  blow.  She 
fell,  but,  recovering  herself,  endeavored  to  retreat. 
We  recommenced  the  conflict,  and  ere  long  the  life- 
less corpse  of  the  animal  proclaimed  us  masters  of 
the  field. 

The  victory  was  dearly  bought.  The  blood  was 
running  in  streams  from  my  father's  hands,  and 
from  his  limbs  into  his  shoes. 

On  examination,  he  found  that  she  had  bitten 
him  in  each  limb,  inflicting  four  ugly  wounds  at 
each  bite,  besides  a  slit  in  his  wrist,  supposed  to 
have  been  done  by  one  of  her  claws. 

DURING  HIGH  WATER. 

The  scene  is  then  one  of  surpassing  grandeur. 

The  rivulet  of  July  or  August,  which  murmured 
so  musically  along  within  its  narrow  channel,  be- 
comes the  tempestuous  torrent,  overwhelming  with 
resistless  might  all  which  would  obstruct  its  path. 

Like  some  wild  and  ferocious  animal,  which  has 
2 


3i  DUKING   HIGH   WATEK. 

been  tamed  and  reduced  to  servitude  by  tlie  power 
of  man,  but  noAv,  frightened  or  enraged,  he  has  be- 
come forgetful  of  all  his  former  lessons,  and,  threat- 
ening with  destruction  all  who  endeavor  to  ap- 
proach him,  riots  unrestrained.  Thus  this  little 
river,  once  a  wild  and  ungoverned  torrent,  but 
since  introduced  by  man  into  new  channels,  com- 
pelled to  grind  his  grain,  saw  his  lumber,  press  out 
his  oil  and  wine,  and  make  Iiis  paper ;  now,  rising 
in  sudden  and  fierce  rebellion  against  him,  has 
broken  over  the  boundaries  which  he  had  placed, 
resumed  its  ancient  channel,  and,  having  thus  es- 
caped from  his  hated  dominion,  rushes  exultingly 
onward,  breaking  or  bearing  along  with  it  the 
chains  with  wliich  he  has  sought  to  impede  its 
progress. 

The  beautiful  little  cascade  of  summer,  floating 
dowmward,  as  if  on  fairy  wings,  to  the  deep  ravine 
below,  tinkling  upon  the  rocks  with  music  like 
that  wdiicli  breathes  from  ^olian  harps,  half-hiding 
the  granite  wall  w^th  a  vail  of  misty  whiteness,  its 
waters  bright  and  pure,  and  clear  as  crystal,  which, 
after  falling,  glides  gently  and  noiselessly  away  to 
the  bosom  of  the  lake  beyond ;  this  we  behold  no 
more. 


WINTER  BEAUTIES.  85 

The  scene  is  wonderfully  changed ;  and  were  it 
not  for  the  eternal  rocks,  we  could  imagine  that 
another  landscape  was  stretched  out  before  us. 

The  rushing  river,  unrestrained  by  its  narrow 
channel,  has  swept  away  the  rustic  bridges,  and 
overflowed  the  winding  paths  by  which  we  ascend 
to  the  foot  of  the  fall. 

*'  Lo  !  where  it  comes  like  an  eternity, 
As  if  to  sweep  down  all  things  in  its  track, 
Charming  the  eye  with  dread — a  matchless  cataract." 

The  ravine  is  filled  with  the  sound  of  rushing 
floods. 

The  majestic  column  of  water  swells  into  grander 
proportions,  while  the  voice  of  the  cataract,  grow- 
ing hoarser  and  more  terrible,  seems  striving  to 
rival  the  roar  of  the  mighty  l^fiagara. 

WINTER  BEAUTIES. 

In  many  respects  the  winter  beauties  of  Taugh- 
annock  surpass  those  of  summer,  although  each 
season  has  its  peculiar  attractions. 

In  summer,  the  scene  is  one  of  unequaled  beauty ; 
in  winter,  one  of  surpassing  grandeur. 

A  huge  mass  of  ice,  its  base  stretching  out  one 


86  BREAKING   UP   OF  THE   ICE. 

hundred  feet  from  the  foot  of  the  fall,  and  some- 
times rising  to  the  height  of  an  hundred  and  fifty 
feet,  towers  upward  like  some  mighty  temple.  Im- 
mense ice-pendants  from  above  join  the  ice-moun- 
tain below,  and  form  an  appropriate  tower  to  the 
crystal  cathedral.  Monstrous  icicles,  stretching 
downward  on  all  sides  of  the  ravine,  almost  con- 
ceal its  sombre  walls. 

When  the  sun,  piercing  the  wintry  clouds,  lights 
up  this  mountain  and  these  towering  walls  of  ice, 
tinging  their  tops  w^itli  crimson  and  gold,  one  can 
almost  imagine  that  he  beholds  the  magical  palace 
of  Aladdin,  with  gorgeous  towers,  and  shining  bat- 
tlements, and  crystal  columns  crowned  with  gold. 

BREAKING  UP   OF   THE   ICE. 

The  breaking  up  of  the  ice  in  the  spring  affords 
another  spectacle  of  grandeur  and  beauty. 

The  water,  gaining  volume,  falls  farther  forward 
than  before,  and  dashes  its  weight  against  the 
mountain  of  ice  below.  This  mass  is  gradually 
worn  away,  and  immense  fissures  are  opened, 
through  which  the  foaming  and  angry  waters  can 
be  seen  struggling  to  escape  from  their  prison. 

Now  a  huge  mass  of  ice  lunges  slowly  forward, 


THE   TAUGHANNOCK  HOUSE.  37 

and  is  hurled  over  the  precipice  with  a  report 
which  makes  the  surrounding  hills  reverberate. 
Now  a  succession  of  smaller  fragments  sends  up 
sounds  like  the  discharge  of  a  park  of  artillery ; 
and,  as  the  iiner  particles  come  rushing  after,  the 
listener  can  imagine  that  he  hears  the  rattle  of 
musketry  intermingled  with  the  roar  of  heavy 
ordnance. 

PICTURES   OF   TAUGHANNOCK. 

Excellent  photographic  and  stereoscopic  pictures 

of  scenery  about  Taughannock  have  been  obtained 

by  Dr.  J.  Towler,  of  Hobart  College,  by  Messrs. 

I       ToUes   and   Seely,   of    Ithaca,  and   other   skillful 

artists. 

Messrs.  Tolles  and  Seely  have  some  beautiful 
views  of  the  Falls  and  Eavine,  which  can  scarcely 
be  surpassed. 

THE    TAUGHANNOCK    HOUSE. 

The  Taughannock  House,  a  substantial  and  spa- 
cious wooden  building,  stands  in  a  pleasant  grove  a 
short  distance  below  the  falls.  Here  the  traveler 
always  finds  excellent  accomnK>dations  and  an  oblig- 
ing landlord. 

This  pleasant  hotel  has  recently  been  enlarged 


38  TAGHCANIC   FALLS. 

to  double  its  former  size  and  refurnished,  and,  un- 
der the  management  of  its  present  popular  pro- 
prietor, will  continue  to  deserve  and  receive  the 
patronage  of  the  public. 

Immediately  in  front  of  the  Taughannock  House 
is  the  point  referred  to  elsewhere  for  obtaining  the 
best  view  of  both  ravine  and  fall.  From  the  sec- 
ond and  third  stories  of  the  Hotel,  the  falls  may 
be  indistinctly  seen,  half-concealed  by  the  waving 
branches  of  the  trees. 

THE  SPRING. 

A  little  to  the  right  is  a  deep  notch  in  the  ravine 
bank,  where  a  flight  of  steps  leads  down  to  a  cool, 
sparkling  spring,  unfailing  even  in  seasons  of  the 
greatest  drought.  Here  a  large  grape-vine,  run- 
ning along  the  very  brink  of  the  precipice,  serves 
as  a  protection  to  the  visitor  who  wishes  to  peep 
over  the  edge  of  the  bank. 

The  following  extract  is  from  a  pamphlet,  de- 
scriptive of  Cayuga  Lake  and  the  scenery  along 
its  banks,  published  by  Munsell  &  Rowland,  Al- 
bany, 1860 : 

^'TAGHCANIC    FALLS. 

The  traveler  who  does  not  stop  here  denies  him- 


VIEW   OF   CAYUGA   LAKE.  89 

self  tlie  pleasure  of  seeing  tlie  most  beautiful  water- 
fall in  the  State.  At  a  point  about  one  mile  up  a 
wild  but  accessible  ravine,  the  clear  crystal  stream 
pours  over  a  shelf  of  rock  in  an  unbroken,  exqui- 
site vail  of  water  —  the  great  distance  (over  two 
hundred  feet)  of  its  plunge,  changing  it  to  the 
dreamiest  and  most  delicious  cloud-work  of  spray. 
These  falls  have  met  delighted  description  from  the 
skilled  pens  of  Dr.  Cheever,  Mrs.  Ellet,  and  many 
others  who  have  not  omitted  to  see  this  sweet  sister 
of  Niagara.  There  is  just  enough  water ;  more 
Avould  change  the  dream-like  character  of  this  sil- 
ver vail  hung  in  a  great  deep  glen.     At  the 

TAGHCANIC   HOTEL, 

kept  by  Mr.  Halsey,  will  be  found  admirable  ar- 
rangements of  entertainment.  It  is  of  the  best 
grade  of  hotels,  and  will  be  found  to  deserve  this 
word  of  commendation." 

VIEW   OF   CAYUGA   LAKE. 

A  pleasant  path,  through  the  woods  fragrant 
with  the  bretith  of  the  pines,  leads  us  a  short  dis- 
tance below  the  Taughannock  House,  where,  from  a 
rustic  seat  agreeably  situated  in  a  shady  nook,  we 


40  VIEW   OF   CAYUGA  LAKE. 

obtain  a  beautiful  view  of  Cayuga  Lake,  recalling 
some  of  the  most  charming  landscapes  on  the  Hud- 
son. This  is  a  picture  which  must  be  seen  to  be 
appreciated  by  the  tourist,  as  no  description  of 
ours  can  do  it  justice.  On  either  hand  extend  the 
bright  shores,  spotted  with  field  and  forest,  while 
here  and  there  arises  the  single  spire  of  a  little 
hamlet. 

Far  away  to  the  north  is  seen  Marsh's  Point,"^  a 
favorite  resort  for  summer  excursionists,  and  on  the 
oi^posite  shore,  as  if  to  extend  friendly  greeting, 
another  long  and  slender  point  reaches  out  a  spark- 
lino-  fino-er. 

Between  these  pleasant  shores  stretches  the  silver 
surface  of  Cayuga  —  queen  of  five  sister  lakes,  a 
glittering  gem,  set  in  a  landscape  only  to  be  ap- 
preciated by  the  true  artist.  Here  and  there  ap- 
pears a  snowy  sail,  or  a  little  steamer  puflSng  slug- 
gishly along,  with  a  cloud  of  black  smoke  following 
in  her  wake. 

For  twenty  miles  or  more,  we  can  watch  the 
shining  wavelets  circling  with  beauty  the  rocky 
bluffs,  green  meadows,   and  glittering  headlands, 

*  We  would  direct  attention  to  beautiful  views  of  Marsh's  Point 
and  surrounding  scenery  photographed  by  Messrs.  Tolles  and  Seely. 


DEATH   OF   THE   HORSE.  41 

until,  in  the  dim  distance,  tlie  waters  are  mingled 
with  the  sky. 

DEATH   OF   THE   HORSE. 

A  short  distance  below  the  hotel,  an  accident  oc- 
curred in  1865,  which  happily  resulted  in  nothing 
more  serious  than  the  loss  of  a  horse  and  buggy. 
The  animal,  becoming  frightened  or  fractious,  be- 
gan to  back  toward  the  precipice.  The  driver  had 
only  time  to  disengage  himself  from  the  reins,  in 
which  he  had  become  entangled,  when  horse  and 
wagon  together  tumbled  down  the  steep  declivity 
to  where  the  rocks  rise  perpendicular ;  then  their 
fall  was  unbroken  until  they  were  dashed  upon  the 
rocks  hundreds  of  feet  below  and  crushed  into  in- 
numerable fragments. 

Strange  to  relate,  however,  a  violin,  which  was 
in  the  buggy,  was  preserved  from  harm  by  its  case, 
and  was  recovered  uninjured. 

The  scattered  fragments  of  the  horse  were  col- 
lected and  buried  in  the  bed  of  the  stream,  where 
head  and  foot-stones  were  erected  to  mark  his  grave. 
Few  of  our  cemeteries  are  more  beautiful  than  the 
spot  where  the  departed  steed  lies  sleeping.  The 
swiftly  gliding  waters  murmur  music  above  him  ; 


42  ACCIDENT. 

from  neighboring  groves  ^oliaii  harps  mingle  their 
strains  with  the  melody,  while  the  fragrance  of  wild 
flowers  perfumes  the  air  around. 

ACCIDENT. 

There  are  two  paths  leading  into  the  upper  ra- 
vine, but  the  traveler  will  find  the  second  easier  in 
its  descent. 

Xear  the  first  of  these  paths,  and  not  far  from  the 
fall  itself,  an  accident  occurred  in  the  summer  of 
1865.  An  Irishrnan,  who  visited  the  falls  w^ith  a 
picnic  party,  in  attempting  to  scramble  down  the 
bank  here,  lost  his  balance,  and,  by  alternate  roll- 
ings and  tumblings,  was  precipitated  to  the  bottom 
of  the  ravine.  Here,  bruised  and  almost  breath- 
less, he  lay  during  a  long  and  weary  night,  unable 
even  to  drag  himself  to  the  water,  which  was  flow- 
ing near  him.  He  managed  to  quench  his  thirst 
by  dipping  a  broken  branch  in  the  stream  and  ap- 
plying the  moistened  end  to  his  lips.  After  re- 
maining here  for  the  greater  part  of  the  following 
day,  he  recovered  himself  sufliciently  to  crawl  up 
the  bank  and  to  the  Cataract  House,  where,  ex- 
hausted and  fainting,  he  was  received  and  cared  for. 


devil's  punch-bowl.  43 

UPPER  RAVINE. 

The  upper  ravine,  although  its  banks  are  less  ma- 
jestic, surpasses  the  lower  in  rustic  beauty.  De- 
scending the  bank  by  an  easy,  winding  path,  our 
curiosity  is  aroused  and  our  admiration  excited  by 
the  wonderfully  regular  appearance  of  several 
smooth,  deep  hollows  in  the  rock  which  constitutes 
the  bed  of  the  stream.  These  cavities  form  bowl- 
like bathing  places,  round  and  polished  as  if  hol- 
lowed by  the  hand  of  art.  The  largest  of  these 
natural  bathing-tubs,  where  the  water  revolves  in  a 
sort  of  miniature  whirlpool,  is  called  the 

DEVIL'S  PUNCH-BOWL. 

We  now  descend  to  the  brink  of  the  Fall,  and, 
crossing  the  stream,  find  ourselves  upon  Table 
KocK,  so  called  from  its  resemblance  to  the  well- 
known  Table  Eock  at  ISTiagara. 

Our  rock  is  a  granite  platform,  immediately  to 
the  right  of  and  almost  level  with  the  top  of  the 
Fall,  with  a  narrow  shelf  projecting  for  several 
yards  on  the  face  of  the  massive  wall  beyond,  along 
which  the  most  venturesome  visitors  carry  frag- 
ments of  rock  and  drop  them  into  the  w^ater  below. 


u 


devil's  punch-bowl. 


A  report  like  tliat  of  a  rifle  rises  from  tlie  dark 
abyss. 

From  tliis  point  is  obtained  a  cliarming  view  of 
the  lower  ravine,  the  Taugbannock  House,  and  the 
lake  in  the  distance. 

Ketracing   our   steps,    and   passing  the   Devil's 


"^ 


Punch-Bowl,  we  meet  with  one  of  the  numerous 
pretty  little  cascades  with  w^hich  the  upper  ravine 
abounds.  Thence  a  pleasant  path  leads  us  mean- 
deringly onward  toward  the  second  or  Upper  Fall, 
near  where  the  stream  first  cuts  its  way  into  the  rock. 


THE    OLD   GUN-FACTORY.  45 

Here,  at  a  sudden  turn,  there  bursts  upon  our 
view  a  cataract,  fifty  feet  in  height^  and  of  peculiar 
beauty.  The  water  does  not  fall  perpendicularly, 
but,  dashed  into  foam,  leaps  madly  from  rock  to 
rock  until,  as  if  ashamed  of  the  eftbrts  of  its  divided 
strength,  collecting  its  forces  in  a  narrow  channel, 
it  pours  its  fury  upon  the  rocks  below. 

On  the  left  of  this  fall  the  smooth  wall  of  rock 
rises  in  a  beautiful  curve,  as  regularly  arched  as  if 
built  by  the  hand  of  man. 

THE   OLD   GUN-FACTORY. 

A  short  distance  above  the  second  fall,  and  near 
the  upper  entrance  to  the  gorge,  stands  a  dilapidat- 
ed relic  of  the  war  of  1812,  known  as  the  "  Gun- 
Factory." 

The  building  was  erected  in  1814  or  1815,  and  a 
company  was  at  that  time  engaged  in  manufactur- 
ing guns  under  a  Government  contract.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  the  company  had  a  large  number 
of  guns  partially  completed,  which,  as  the  Govern- 
ment had  no  use  for  them,  were  boxed  up  and  sent 
to  an  arsenal  in  Connecticut. 

After  the  war,  the  old  gun-factory  was  for  a  long 


46  MEANS   OF   ACCESS. 

time  unoccupied,  but  has  since  served  as  an  oil-mill, 
a  flax-mill,  and  a  tobacco-house. 

MEANS  OF  ACCESS. 

During  the  summer  season,  Taughannock  is 
easily  accessible  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  as  a 
double  line  of  boats  on  Cayuga  Lake  connects  with 
the  IN^ew-York  Central  at  Cayuga  Bridge,  and  with 
a  branch  of  the  New-York  and  Erie  at  Ithaca. 

Tlie  ride  over  the  clear  and  placid  waters  of  the 
bright  Cayuga  affords  pleasure  enough  of  itself  to 
repay  the  traveler  for  all  the  expense  of  his  journey- 

The  steamboat  company  are  now  building  a  new 
passenger-boat  to  take  the  place  of  one  of  the  old 
steamers. 

In  winter  Taughannock  is  more  difficult  of  ap- 
proach, as  for  two  months  Cayuga  Lake  is  closed 
by  ice ;  but  a  line  of  stages  from  Ovid  to  Ithaca 
connects  with  conveyances  from  the  Seneca  Lake 
boats,  thus  opening  another  pleasant  way  of  ap- 
proach to  Taughannock. 

These  steamers  can  always  be  relied  upon,  both 
during  summer  and  winter.  In  1865,  one  of  them. 
Captain  Dey's  boat,  did  not  lose  a  single  trip  dur- 
ing the  year. 


TAUGIIANNOCK  BY  MOONLIGHT. 


I  ONCE  saw  Taughannock  by  moonlight,  and  shall 
never  forget  the  impression  it  made  upon  me.  It 
forms  one  of  my  memory  pictures  which  never  can 
fade  away,  and  which  I  love  frequently,  to  revert  to. 

As  our  carriage  rolled  along  the  smooth  road 
skirting  the  ravine,  and  we  passed  now  beneath  the 
shadows  of  dark  pines,  now  over  a  strip  of  bright 
moonlight,  I  was  continually  leaning  from  the  win- 
dows, watching  the  constant  alternation  of  light 
and  sliade.  The  wheels  bowled  along  so  smoothly 
it  seemed  as  if  we  were  moved  by  enchantment.  I 
couldn't  help  comparing  our  little  company  to  a 
group  of  fairies  hastening  to  a  midnight  revel  in  a 
coach  drawn  through  the  air, 

"Over  hill,  over  dale, 

Through  bush,  through  briar, 
Over  park,  over  pale, 

Through  flood,  through  fire." 


48  TAUGHANNOCK  BY   MOONLIGHT. 

Surely,  never  Titania  or  Oberon  sported  on  a 
green  beneath  a  more  dazzling  flood  of  moonliglit. 

We  whirled  around  corners,  glided  in  and  out, 
following  the  windings  of  the  ravine  of  whose 
black  depths  I  caught  a  shuddering  glance  now 
and  then,  until  finally  the  forest  closed  in  on  both 
sides,  the  rays  of  the  moon  struggled  in  vain  to 
penetrate  the  thick  branches,  and  we -rode  in  si- 
lence, ascending  and  descending  several  slight  ele- 
vations, lialting  at  last  with  the  quietness  that  had 
hitherto  characterized  our  course,  at  the  broad 
piazza  fronting  the  Cataract  House. 

The  song  of  the 

"  Cadenced  white  waterfall,  silvered  and  curled," 

reached  us  in  subdued  utterances,  as  if  the  moon 
had  laid  a  spell  upon  it,  and  the  voices  of  the 
water-spirits  were  low  in  consequence.  Crossing 
the  open  space  in  front  of  the  hotel,  we  seated  our- 
selves upon  the  verge  of  the  ravine,  reverently  pre- 
pared to  look  and  listen.  The  fall  was  visible, 
silvered  at  the  top  where  the  moonlight  struck  it, 
and  dropping  away  into  shadowy  indistinctness  ere 
it  reached  the  stream  below.  The  sigh  of  the  night 
breeze,  mingled  with  the  ceaseless  murmur  of  the 


TAUGHANNOCK  BY   MOONLIGHT.  49 

cascade,  seemed  the  only  sound  awake  in  the  wide 
world. 

Far  down  the  dark  abyss  beneath  us,  and  away 
up  into  the  infinitude  above  us,  we  looked,  feeling 
our  littleness. 

A  still,  small  voice  seemed  sounding  in  our  ears 
the  praises  of  Him  who  created  the  world,  reared 
its  venerable  forests,  fashioned  its  wondrous  and 
beautiful  adornings,  piled  up  its  mountain  heights 
heights  and  scooped  out  its  deep-cut  ravines. 

At  first  there  was  a  spell  upon  every  tongue,  and 
no  word  was  uttered;  then  we  began  to  talk  in 
whispers,  and,  the  seal  of  silence  once  removed,  it 
was  not  long  ere  there  was  a  mingling  of  voices 
and  an  interchange  of  opinion  with  regard  to  Taugli- 
annock. 

"  Beautiful !  isn't  it  ?" 

"  Heavenly  !" 

"  Divine !" 

"  Shall  we  descend  and  pay  Undine  a  visit  f 

"  Where  do  you  suppose  her  grotto  is  situated  ?" 

"  Oh  !  beneath  that  cliff  yonder,  where  the  water 
shoots  over  and  the  spray  rises." 

Undine !  The  name  called  up  a  host  of  shadowy 
dreams.  I  saw  the  doomed  maiden  floating  on  the 
2* 


50  TAUGHANNOCK   BY   MOONLIGHT. 

curling  spray,  lier  pale  hair  unbound,  lier  sad  face 
turned  toward  us. 

Surely,  I  thought,  the  spirits  that  haunt  each 
rippling  stream  must  love  to  congregate  in  such  a 
spot  on  such  a  night  as  this. 

Misty  and  indistinct  as  the  waterfall  seemed, 
there  was  yet  enough  of  it  visible  to  charm  and 
enchain  us  to  the  spot  for  hours. 

"  Les  trois  Sceurs,'^^  with  sweet  voices  and  charm- 
ing faces,  sang  a  duet  about  "Moonlight,  music, 
love,  and  flowers,"  and  never  was  melody  more  in 
tune  with  the  harmonies  about  us. 

The  sentinel  trees  ranged  along  the  edge  of  the 
ravine  stood  stately  and  dark  in  the  full  glow  of 
the  moon,  like  sturdy  guardians  whose  vigils  might 
never  for  an  instant  relax.  When  we  moved  about, 
the  last  year's  foliage  of  the  pine  lay  soft  and 
smooth  beneath  our  feet,  and  its  aromatic  odors 
filled  the  air. 

There  were  strange  whisperings  overhead,  as  if 
the  Dryads  were  interchanging  their  nightly  com- 
munications. 

I  know  not  how  late  we  might  have  remained 
had  not  an  evil  spirit  prompted  some  member  of 
the  company  to  look  at  his  w^atch. 


TAUGHANNOCK  BY  MOONLIGHT.  51 

"  Eleven  o'clock !" 

"  Impossible !" 

With  tlie  settled  conviction  that  his  watch  had 
beaten  old  Time  by  at  least  a  couple  of  hours,  every 
time-piece  in  the  party  was  consulted,  but  alas  I 
each  told  a  similar  story.  One  more  look  at  the 
silvery  sheen  of  the  falling  waters,  one  long  and 
lingering  look  to  imprint  the  scene  upon  memory, 
one  moment  of  eager  and  intent  listening  to  catch 
the  song  those  waters  are  forever  singing,  and  we 
are  driven  slowly  away  with  many  a  backward 
glance  at  the  quiet  hotel  with  its  surroundings  of 
''  forest  primeval." 


VIEWS. 


VIEWS  FROM  ABOVE. 

One  of  the  best  unobstructed  views  from  tlie  top 
of  the  bank,  is  obtained  from  the  rustic  seat  imme- 
diately in  front  of  the  hotel.  Here,  across  the  tre- 
mendous gulf  which  yawns  before  us,  we  behold  the 
falls  in  the  distance,  their  mighty  walls  of  granite 
guarding  them  on  either  side.  We  behold  the 
"  Gothic  Door,"  opening  grandly,  on  the  right,  and 
the  "  Lady  of  the  Mist,"  sitting  meditatively  near 
the  foot  of  the  fall.  This  is  also  a  favorable  position 
for  viewing  the  beautiful  lower  ravine. 

From  this  point  was  painted  one  of  the  best  pic- 
tures of  Taughannock — a  large  oil  painting,  by  that 
talented  artist,  J.  C.  Beardsley,  of  Ithaca.  Mr. 
Beardsley  excels  in  landscape  painting,  and  has  made 
many  beautiful  studies  at  Taughannock. 

A  few  rods  south-west  of  the  Taughannock  House, 
near  the  spot  where  once  stood  another  hotel,  called 


VIEAVS.  53 

tlie  "  Falls  House,"  we  obtain  a  nearer  view  of  tlie 
fall,  which  is  preferred  by  some  to  that  in  front  of 
the  Cataract.  The  prospect  of  the  ravine,  however,  is 
more  limited,  in  consequence  of  its  curving  suddenly 
to  the  left,  and  it  is  impossible  to  appreciate  here 
the  height  of  the  bank  upon  which  we  are  standing. 
We  have  a  fine  view  of  the  pool  beneath  the  fall,  and 
of  the  towering  bank  opposite. 

A  little  further  up-stream  is  a  steep  path,  leading 
downward  almost  to  the  edge  of  the  perpendicular 
wall  rising  from  below.  Here  the  venturesome  trav- 
eler will  discover  another  beautiful  view  of  the  fall. 
This  spot  was  once  the  scene  of  a  sad  tragedy. 

Directly  beneath  this  point  was  discovered  the 
body  of  the  stranger  to  whose  mournful  fate  we  have 
alluded  elsewhere. 

As  at  Niagara  the  best  points  for  viewing  the 
falls  are  found  on  the  Canada  shore,  so  here,  as  the 
water  falls  almost  facing  the  northern  bank,  it  is 
impossible  to  obtain  a  satisfactory  view  of  Taughan- 
nock  from  the  southern.  There  is,  however,  one 
view  from  that  side  which  is  worth  mentioning.  It 
is  obtained  by  standing  near  the  edge  of  the  over- 
hanging bank,  nearly  in  line  with  the  fall  itself,  and 
apparently  almost  directly  above  it.     This  position. 


54  VIEWS. 

however,  is  not  an  entirely  safe  one,  as  portions  of 
the  projecting  rock  fall  every  year. 

BEAUTIFUL  VIEW. 

Not  far  from  the  top  of  the  fall,  and  the  first  path 
for  descending  to  the  stream  above,  is  the  best  point 
for  obtaining  a  view  of  that  magnificent  gnlf,  the 
lower  ravine. 

We  have  never  seen  a  painting  or  a  good  stereo- 
scopic view  of  this  scene,  although  several  artists 
have  endeavored  to  obtain  one  ;  but  we  know  of  no 
landscape  which  would  make  a  more  beautiful  pic- 
ture, if  it  could  be  successfully  transferred  to  canvas. 
The  massive  granite  walls,  on  either  side,  diminish- 
ing in  the  distance ;  the  dark  pool,  three  hundred 
feet  beneath,  from  which  a  sparkling  cloud  of  foam 
arises ;  the  stream  below,  no  longer  disturbed  by  the 
terrible  fright  of  its  fall — a  thread  of  silver  winding 
away  among  the  evergreens ;  and  a  bird's-eye  view 
of  the  beautiful  Cayuga  in  the  distance ;  all  these 
commend  this  favored  spot  to  the  attention  of  the 
artist. 

These  are  the  most  favorable  positions  from  which 
to  survey  the  cataract  and  ravine  from  above. 


VIEWS.  55 


VIEWS  FROM  BELOW. 


The  view  of  the  fall  from  the  ravine,  however, 
is  the  only  one  with  which  we  are  entirely  satisfied. 
Here  alone  we  are  fully  impressed  with  the  over- 
powering sublimity  of  the  scene,  and  while  we  can 
not  but  admire  its  beauty,  its  grandeur  fills  us  with 
awe. 

None  of  the  views  from  above  afford  us  an  ade- 
quate idea  of  the  height,  breadth,  or  beauty  of  the 
fall,  but  from  below  it  stands  out  in  all  its  magnifi- 
cent proportions,  a  masterpiece  of  nature's  handi- 
work, painted  upon  the  face  of  the  mighty  rocks, 
with  lofty  and  overhanging  cliffs  to  mingle  in  due 
proportions  the  lights  and  shadows. 

A  near  approach  to  the  "  Lady  of  the  Mist,"  con- 
fuses to  our  sight  the  outlines  of  her  figure,  and  w^e 
discover  that  in  this  instance — 

"  Distance  lends  enchantment ; " 

but  the  Gothic  Door  rises  grand  and  gloomy  above 
us,  like  the  dilapidated  portal  of  some  gigantic  cas- 
tle of  the  olden  time.  The  pool,  which  looked  so 
small  from  above,  swells  into  quite  a  lakelet,  ex- 
tending a  stone's  throw  from  the  foot  of  the  fall. 


HISTOEIOAL. 


It  would  be  but  a  pleasant  task  to  retrace  tlie  his- 
tory of  Taugliannock,  throiigli  the  ages  which  have 
passed  since  first  its  waters  began  to  flow,  to  learn  at 
what  period,  and  with  what  rapidity,  it  formed, 
first  a  succession  of  rapids,  and,  finally,  this  majestic 
cataract ;  to  know  what  nations  and  tribes  liave  in 
turn  dwelt  along  its  banks,  and  held  sway  over 
these  pleasant  shores. 

The  beautiful  and  appropriate  name  of  the  Falls, 
we  are  well  aware,  descends  to  us  from  the  Ameri- 
can Indians,  and  Dr.  Hamilton  has  given  us  a 
charming  legend  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Dela- 
ware name,  Taughannock,  came  to  be  applied  to- 
this  cataract  in  tlie  country  of  the  Iroquois,  or  Six 
Nations. 

But  there  are  many  and  indubitable  evidences 
that  before  the  time  of  the  Indians,  other  and  more 
civilized  races  claimed  this  country  as  their  own. 
Mementoes  and  monuments  of  a  strange  unknown 


HISTORICAL.  57 

people  are  scattered  over  our  country,  from  the 
Atlantic  to  tlie  Pacific,  and  from  Lake  Erie  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  ;  but  none  can  tell  their  history,  or 
to  whom  we  owe  their  existence. 

Between  the  Lakes  Cayuga  and  Seneca,  and 
along  Lake  Erie,  were  discovered  the  remains  of 
many  of  those  mysterious,  ancient  fortifications,  be- 
longing to  an  age  so  remote  that  even  the  tongue  of 
tradition  is  silent  concerning  them. 

Yarious  theories  have  been  advanced  in  regard  to 
the  origin  of  these  unknown  nations  of  the  past,  and 
the  time  at  which  they  inhabited  this  country,  but 
it  is  doubtful  whether  we  shall  ever  be  able  to  de- 
termine accurately  concerning  cither  of  the  points 
in  question. 

In  later  years  we  know  that  this  beautiful  country 
was  the  home  of  the  Cayugas  and  Senecas,  the  chief 
tribes  of  the  great  Iroquois  confederacy,  who  doubt- 
less built  their  wigwams  along  the  banks  of  the 
Taughannock. 

The  spot  which  is  now  a  place  of  popular  resort 
for  the  votary  of  pleasure,  was  then  a  favored 
liaunt  of  the  simple  child  of  nature.  AVhere  the 
devotees  of  fashion  "wind  'mid  the  mazes"  of  "the 
Lancers,"    the   painted   warriors   then    brandished 


58  HISTORICAL. 

their  hatchets  in  the  war-dance ;  and  instead  of  the 
sweet  notes  of  the  hite  or  viol,  floating  through  the 
brilliant  ball-room,  the  shrill  whooj)  of  the  savage 
rung  through  the  forest. 

But  the  emotions  of  the  heart  remain  the  same, 
and  where  now  the  proud  beauty  twirls  her  fan,  and 
listens,  w^ith  half-concealed  contempt,  to  the  familiar 
tale  of  another  suitor,  the  modest  Indian  maiden, 
her  dark  cheek  tinged  with  a  deeper  hue,  acknow- 
ledged her  first  and  only  love. 

'No  doubt  the  wild  "  children  of  the  forest " 

"  Felt  awe  as  deep  and  reverential  love," 

toward  the  Great  Spirit,  whose  hand  they  recog- 
nized in  the  works  of  nature,  as  do  many  of  their 
more  enlightened  pale-faced  conquerors,  who  boast 
so  loudly  of  their  mental  and  moral  superiority. 

In  no  other  part  of  North- America  had  the  abori- 
gines made  such  advances  in  civilization  as  upon 
the  shores  of  these  lakes  and  in  the  Genesee  coun- 
try. Those  of  our  readers  who  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  think  of  the  Indians  as  wild  and  savage 
warriors  will  be  astonished  to  learn  how  far  they 
had  advanced  in  the  arts  of  peace.^ 

*  Vide  Trans.  N.  Y.  State  Agricultural  Society,  Vol.  X.  1850,  p.  380. 


HISTORICAL.  59 

We  quote  from  an  authentic  account  of  General 
Sullivan's  expedition  against  the  Indians,  in  1779 : 

"  After  the  battle  at  Newtown  [now  Elmira]  the 
American  army  pressed  forward  between  Cayuga 
and  Seneca  lakes,  driving  the  Indians  before  them. 

"  Here  the  lands  were  found  to  be  cultivated, 
yielding  corn  abundantly.  Extensive  orchards  pre- 
sented fine  fruits  to  the  invader.  The  apple,  pear, 
and  plum  were  abundant.  A  regularity  in  the 
arrangement  of  their  houses  indicated  long-con- 
tinued prosperity  and  enjoyment  of  property.  Many 
houses  were  rudely  framed,  with  chimneys,  and 
some  few  were  painted.  All,  however,  w^ere  des- 
troyed." 

We  are  informed,  by  early  settlers,  that,  at  the 
time  of  the  first  emigration  of  the  whites  into  this 
region  of  country,  there  were  unmistakable  evi- 
dences that  a  large  and  long-established  Indian 
Village  had  existed  on  the  point  now  known  as 
Goodwin's,  below  Taughannock  Falls.  At  the  time 
of  the  coming  of  the  whites  the  village  had  been 
abandoned,  probably  on  account  of  the  gradual 
decimation  of  the  tribes,  but  the  Indians  still  culti- 
vated corn-fields  on  this  point,  and  had  also  an 
orchard  here. 


60  INDIAN   ORCHARD. 

For  many  years  liatcliets  and  other  Indian  imple- 
ments wonld  often  be  turned  up  by  the  plow,  and  it 
was  no  nncommon  thing  for  laborers  in  the  corn- 
fields to  discover  quantities  of  tlie  wampum,  or 
large  red  beads,  used  as  money  by  the  Indians. 

INDIAN  ORCHARD. 

The  Indian  apple  orchard  was  near  the  mouth  of 
the  stream,  and  some  of  the  trees  were  standing  only 
a  few  years  ago. 

It  was  supposed  by  the  settlers  that  this  orchard 
Avas  cut  down  at  the  time  of  Gen.  Sullivan's  expe- 
dition in  1Y79  ;  and  that  new  trees  sprouted  up 
from  the  old  stumps.  This  opinion  w^as  strength- 
ened by  the  fact  that  frequently  two  or  three  trees 
grew  together  in  a  cluster,  as  if  springing  from  a 
common  root.  These  apple-trees  grew  to  an  un- 
usual height,  and  several  old  settlers  bear  testimony 
that  they  produced  excellent  fruit. 

A  tree  from  this  orchard  was  once  transplanted 
by  Abner  Truman'^  (the  revolutionary  soldier  from 
whom   the   village   of  Trumansburgh   derives    its 

*  The  name  was  originally  Tremain.  It  was  corrupted  in  pronun- 
ciation to  Truman,  hence  Trumansburgh. 


ORIGIN   OF  NAME.  61 

name)  to  his  garden,  opposite  the  present  Metho- 
dist church.  This  venerable  tree^  has  been  very 
productive,  and  still  stands,  bearing  fruit  yearly. 

Mr.  George  Goodwin,  of  Jacksonville,  relates 
that  for  a  long  time  after  his  father  settled  at  "  the 
Point,"  although  the  land  had  been  nominally  sold 
to  the  white  men,  the  Indians  claimed  the  fruit  of 
the  orchard  as  their  own.  They  would  even  steal 
the  apples  before  they  w^ere  ripe,  and  it  w^as  several 
years  before  they  ceased  to  be  troublesome. 

ORIGIN  OF  NAME. 

Before  Dr.  Hamilton  had  investigated  this  sub- 
ject, many  different  views  were  entertained  con- 
cerning the  origin  of  the  name  Taughannock. 

Various  attempts  were  made  to  discover  in  the 
word  itself  the  reason  for  its  being  thus  applied. f 
But  the  theories  thus  advanced,  although  ingenious, 
were  all  open  to  objections. 

Probably  there  are  few  Avords  for  which  a  skillful 

*  It  is  supposed  to  be  nearly  one  hundred  years  old. 

f  Mr.  Bogart  (vide  quotation  following)  made  the  word  to  mean, 
"  The  Great  Fall  in  the  Woods."  Dr.  Geo.  Copway,  the  Indian  chief, 
thought  it  might  mean,  "  The  Crevice  which  rises  to  the  Tops  of  the 

Trees." 


62  ORIGIN  OF  NAME. 

philologist  could  not  discover  some  possible  deriva- 
tion. 

We  give  a  few  names  and  terminations  from 
which  such  an  investigator  might  suppose  a  deriva 
tion  for  the  name  Taughannock  : 

In  the  Algonquin,  the  word  tahuun  means  wood  ; 
olamehuhuum^  \i\^\\  jyatihaakun^  thunder.  In  the 
Miami  tongue  forest  is  tawwonawJcewe^  in  Delaware 
it  is  taikunah.  Tahxxan^  in  Delaware,  means  wood. 
In  the  Dacotah  dialect,  tehauwauJcan  means  very 
high. 

Schoolcraft  states  that  "  the  tribes  generally 
dwelt  on  the  banks  of  rivers,  which  were  denoted 
by  an  inflection  to  the  root  form  of  its  name,  as, 
-annah^  -annock^  -any^  as  heard  in  Susqueh-annah, 
Kappah-annock,  and  Allegh-any. 

"  The  termination  of  -atun^  or  -atan^  or  -ton^  de- 
notes a  rapid  stream  or  channel.  In  Iroquois,  the 
particle  on  denotes  a  hill ;  -och  denotes  forest." 

The  following  entry  was  recently  made  in  the 
register  of  the  Taughannock  House,  by  W.  H.  Bo- 
gart,  Esq.,  of  the  New- York  ''World": 

"  Mr.  Halsey  requested  Mr.  Alfred  B.  Street,  the 
distinguished  poet,  and  myself,  to  ascertain  what 
w^as  the  probable  signification  of  the  word  Tagh- 


ORIGIN   OF  NAME.  63 

anic,  by  wliich  these  very,  very  beautiful  Falls  are 
designated.  Few  things  are  so  difficult  as  to  gather 
from  the  conflicting  dialects  of  the  various  tribes 
any  accurate  translation. 

'^  Mr.  Street  Avill  do  his  portion  of  tlie  task,  set 
him  by  Mr.  Halsey,  in  his  own  delightful  manner, 
by  ode  or  lyric  worthy  of  the  theme.  I  find  in 
a  dictionary  of  the  Onondaga  language,  prepared 
by  Jean  Murinchau,  a  French  Jesuit,  the  word 
dehennah^  or  dehennach^  meaning,  I  believe,  a  Fall. 
In  the  Algonquin  is  the  word  taakhan^  wliich  is  in- 
terpreted as  Woods,  and  in  the  Mohawk,  timghah^ 
the  explanation  of  which  is  Great.  All  these 
brought  together  are  easily,  in  the  changes  of  lan- 
guage and  varieties  of  pronunciation,  rendered  as 
Taghannic,  or 

The  Great  Fall  in  the  Woods  ! 

which  is  the  easy,  and  natural,  and  probable  appel- 
lation given  to  it  by  the  quiet,  simple,  unimagina- 
tive men,  who  once  ruled  and  possessed  all  this 
land. 

"  William  H.  Bogart. 
"  Aurora,  Cayuga  Lake, 
"  7th  August,  1865." 


64:  ORIGIN   OF   NAME. 

The  name  Taugliannock,  like  many  others  of  a 
similar  derivation,  has  been  spelled  and  pronounced 
in  a  great  variety  of  ways,  and  by  scarcely  two 
writers  in  the  same  way. 

After  an  examination  of  other  Indian  geographi- 
cal terms,  and  after  consulting  with  gentlemen  who 
have  long  been  familiar  with  Indian  languages  and 
dialects,  we  have  adopted  the  orthography,  Taicg/t- 
annock^  as  most  in  accordance  wdth  the  structure 
of  the  language  from  which  it  is  derived,  while  we 
believe  it  to  be,  also,  the  best  sounding  name  of  all 
those  applied  to  the  Falls.  We  thus  preserve  in  the 
word  the  guttural  augh^  and  the  termination  annock^ 
analogous  to  Rappahannock,  ete. 

Note. — for  Indian  geographical  names,  used  in  this  book,  compare 
"  The  League  of  the  Iroquois,"  by  Lewis  H.  Morgan,  Esq.,  of  Roches- 
ter. 


TAUGHANNOCK  FALLS-CAYUGA  LAKE. 

TRADITION    CONCERNING    THE    ORIGIN     OF    THE    NAME. 


BY    D.    II.    HAMILTON,    D.D. 


It  is  a  curious  question  to  tlie  student  of  Amer- 
ican antiquities,  and  especially  of  Indian  arclise- 
ology,  liow  the  Delaware  name  Taughannock  came 
to  be  affixed  to  the  most  conspicuous  and  beautiful 
water-fall  in  the  country  of  the  Iroquois  or  Six 
Nations,  and  within  the  canton  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Cayugas. 

Did  the  ancient  Delawares  once  hold  this  coun- 
try, and  did  they  then  fix  their  name  on  these  falls 
so  firmly  that  the  changes  of  w^ar  and  conquest 
could  not  remove  it,  or  was  the  name  the  result  of 
some  later  event  ? 

A  faint  tradition  is  in  favor  of  the  former  suppo- 
sition, but  a  more  distinct  one  supports  the  latter. 


66         TAUGUANNOCK  FALLS — CAYUGA  LAKE. 

Taughannock  Falls  is  within  the  territory  for- 
merly owned  by  the  Cayugas.  Its  name  is  ac- 
comited  for,  by  history  and  tradition,  in  the  follow- 
ing events. 

The  Iroquois  confederacy,  by  a  series  of  con- 
quests, had  extended  its  sway  from  Lake  Superior 
and  the  Mississippi  to  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  from 
Canada  to  the  Potomac  and  Ohio.  Iii  fact,  they 
held  the  Indians  of  almost  the  whole  continent  in 
subjection,  and  exacted  of  them  tribute,  which 
some  of  them  pay  to  this  day. 

After  subduing  the  Adirondacs,  the  Ottawas,  the 
Chippewas,  and  the  Algonkins,  of  the  north ;  the 
Mohegans,  the  Manhattans,  and  the  I^assachusets, 
on  the  east ;  the  Cries,  Miamies,  and  the  Illini,  on 
the  west,  and  the  Shawn ees,  on  the  Ohio,  they  con  - 
quered  also  the  Delawares,  reduced  them  to  "Tich- 
atains,^^  and  took  from  them  all  authority  in  war 
or  council,  stigmatizing  them  as  women.  This  took 
place  at  an  early  date.  The  Delawares  were  a 
powerful  tribe  situated  on  the  Delaware  and  Sus- 
quehanna rivers,  and  in  early  times  were  formi- 
dable in  the  chase  and  on  the  war-path,  and  famed 
for  their  wisdom  in  the  council.  Of  their  many 
heroes,  Tammany  has  left  the  proudest  name. 


TAUGHANNOCK  FALLS — CAYUGA  LAKE.    67 

Tammany,  like  Powhatan,  was  a  great  character 
at  the  time  of  the  first  coming  of  Europeans,  and 
died  at  an  advanced  age  in  1680. 

Taghcanic,  or  Tanghannock,  or  Taucahanac,  was 
the  name  of  a  race  of  chieftains  who  ruled  before 
the  days  of  Tammany,  and  gave  their  name  to  sev- 
eral streams  in  the  country  where  they  lived. 
Some  of  these  still  remain  as  the  names  of  branches 
of  the  Susquehanna  and  Delaware  rivers. 

They  were  supplanted  in  their  chieftainship  by 
Tammany  and  his  successors,  probably  by  some  an- 
cestor of  the  renowned  Tammany,  who  has  been 
canonized  as  St.  Tammany,  and  is  the  presiding 
genius  of  so  many  halls,  cabals,  clubs,  and  political 
conclaves,  especially  of  the  well-known  Tammany 
Hall,  New- York. 

The  reign  of  the  Tammanys  seems  to  have  been 
long,  and  was  in  the  height  of  its  ascendency,  when 
they  were  overthrown  by  the  more  pow^erful  Iro- 
quois. 

Falling  before  this  mighty  foe,  they  still  retained 
their  ancient  pride ;  for  Tammany  made  himself 
famous  by  his  battles  with  the  conquerors,  and  tra- 
dition states  that  he  never  had  his  equal  in  the 
cliase  or  on  the  war-path. 


68    TAUGHANNOCK  FALLS — CAYUGA  LAKE. 

While  liis  people  perislied  by  the  hand  of  the 
enemy,  his  own  fame  remained  undimmed.  Prob- 
ably he  is  known  further  and  honored  more  for  the 
sad  fate  of  his  nation,  so  that  their  disaster  was  his 
glory. 

After  the  Delawares  had  been  conquered  by  the 
Six  orations,  a  controversy  arose  between  the  chiefs 
of  the  former  tribe  and  the  Governor  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, concerning  the  transfer  of  some  lands  at  the 
forks  of  the  Delaware.  The  whites  appealed  to 
the  Iroquois,  who  decided  that  they  had  fairly  pur- 
chased the  lands  in  dispute,  and  sent  Canassatego,^^ 
a  chief  of  the  Onondagas  and  a  cotem]3orary  of  the 
great  Logan,  to  inform  the  Delawares  of  their  de- 
cision. 

Canassatego  appeared  in  Philadelphia  with  two 
hundred  and  thirty  warriors.  He  told  the  Gover- 
nor that  the  Delawares  were  in  the  wrong ;  that 
the  Iroquois  had  long  before  subjugated  them,  and 
reduced  them  to  the  condition  of  women ;  that 
they  had  no  right  whatever  to  say  any  thing  about 
lands,  or  to  appear  in  councils.     Then,  turning  to 

*  For  a  full  history  of  Canassatego,  sec  Mr.  Clark's  "  History  of 
the  County  of  Onondaga." 


TAUGHANNOCK  FALLS — CAYUGA  LAKE.    69 

tlie  Delaware  chiefs  present,  he  poured  forth  a 
fierce  torrent  of  invective  against  them  and  their 
race,  stigmatizing  them  as  dishonest  cowards,  un- 
worthy of  the  name  of  warriors,  and  therefore  to 
be  known  as  women. 

In  conclusion,  he  commanded  them  to  deliver  up 
to  the  whites  the  lands  in  dispute,  which  command 
the  unhappy  Delawares,  unable  to  resist,  were  con- 
strained to  obey. 

The  whole  speech  of  Canassatego  both  to  the 
Governor  of  Pennsylvania  and  to  the  Delawares, 
may  be  found  in  Oolden's  Six  Nations,^  and  in 
Drake's  Book  of  Indians^  Book  Y.,  chap.  2. 

The  effect  of  this  rebuke  and  taunt  was  over- 
whelming on  the  poor  remnants  of  the  once  mighty 
Delawares,  and  they  shrank  away  and  fled  to  the 
interior  to  be  lost  in  other  tribes. 

They  had  become,  no  doubt,  dissipated,  demoral- 
ized, and  wasted  by  their  intercourse  with  the 
whites,  as  well  as  humbled  by  the  sway  of  the  Six 
Nations,  or  Mingoes,  as  they  were  called  by  the 
Delawares,  yet  there  was  not  wholly  lost  in  that 
poor  tribe  the  "  blood  of  noble  breeding,"  nor  the 
spirit  of  the  olden  days. 

A  young  chief  of  the  ancient  line  of  Taughan- 


70  TAUGHAISTNOCK   FALLS — CAYUGA   LAKE. 

nock  was  in  that  company,  and  every  word  of  tlie 
sarcastic  and  reproachful  speech  of  Canassatego, 
the  proud  Iroquois,  stung  him  to  the  quick. 

The  shame  of  his  race  was  a  humiliation,  and  the 
haughty  scorn  of  the  Onondaga  chief  burnt  into 
his  soul.  He  Yowed  revenge,  and  collecting  a  few 
young  warriors,  they  held  a  war-dance  around  the 
council-fire,  and  yelled  their  rage,  and  hurled  their 
liatchets,  and  howled  their  vengeance,  and  enacted 
their  mimic  strategy — attack,  grapple,  slaughter, 
and  victory,  till  the  night  was  far  gone.  Then, 
filled  with  frenzy  and  panting  with  fiendish  fury, 
they  dashed  forth  on  the  war-path,  nearly  two  hun- 
dred strong,  and,  traversing  forest  and  mountain, 
crossing  streams  and  gorges,  made  their  way  to- 
wards the  canton  of  the  Cayugas,  intending  a  raid 
through  the  heart  of  the  Iroquois  country. 

They  passed  Wyoming  and  Owego,  and  took  the 
trail  for  Cayuga  Lake,  plotting  to  fall  npon  the  In- 
dian towns  lying  around  it,  especially  Neodakheat^ 
(Ithaca,)  Deowendotey  (Aurora,)  and  Genogeh,  (Ca- 
noga.)  Fearing,  however,  to  attack  Neodakheat, 
they  turned  to  the  left,  and,  pursuing  their  way 
northward,  entered  the  Cayuga  country  lying  be- 
tween Cayuga  and  Seneca  Lakes,  meaning  to  make 


TAUGHANNOCK  FALLS — CAYUGA  LAKE.    71 

au  attack  on  Genogeb,  and  then  rush  back  and  fall 
upon  Neodakheat. 

They  encountered,  however,  an  unexpected  re- 
sistance from  some  smaller  settlements  of  Indians 
situated  in  the  regions  where  Trumansburgh,  Perry, 
Mecklenburgh,  Farmerville,  and  Lodi  have  since 
been  located.  These  Indians  were  both  Cayugas 
and  Senecas ;  the  chief  settlement'^  of  the  former 
being  between  Perry  and  Mecklenburgh,  while  that 
of  the  Senecas  was  between  Pratts  and  Farmerville. 
The  two  tribes  were,  however,  much  intermingled, 
and  assumed  a  name  indicative  of  their  origin, 
calling  themselves  Ganungueuguch,  tliat  is,  Sene- 
cayugas. 

This  union  was  brought  about,  for  the  most  part, 
by  an  aspiring  and  talented  young  chief,  whose  fa- 
ther w^as  a  Seneca  and  whose  mother  was  a  Cayuga. 
The  name  of  the  chief  and  of  the  community — for 
they  never  rose  to  the  full  dignity  of  a  tribe — was 
derived  from  Ganundesaga,  (Seneca  Lake,)  and 
Gueuguch,  (Cayuga  Lake.)     Ganungueuguch  was 

*  Traces  of  this  Indian  settlement,  together  with  an  ancient  forti- 
fication, may  still  be  seen  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Wpa.  Carman,  near 
Perry  City. 


72    TAUGHANNOCK  FALLS— CAYUGA  LAKE. 

the  Indian  name  of  the  chief,  the  settlements,  the 
people,  the  stream,  and  of  the  Falls. 

This  chief  gave  his  name  to  the  river  npon  which 
he  dwelt,  just  as  Powhatan''^  left  his  name  to  the 
river  and  the  country  where  he  lived. 

These  two  settlements,  the  one  of  Cayugas  and 
the  other  of  Senecas,  consisting  each  of  from  four 
to  six  hundred  souls,  formed  a  very  considerable 
community.  They  w^ere  made  rich  and  happy  by 
the  abundance  of  game  and  of  wild  fruit,  for  which 
this  region  was  famed  among  all  the  tribes. 

On  finding  a  hostile  band  of  Delawares  armed 
and  painted  for  war  passing  through  their  immedi- 
ate neighborhood,  they  took  the  alarm,  ralHed 
under  their  chief,  Ganungueuguch,  and  made  an  in- 
eifectual  attempt  to  repel  them. 

The  determined  foe,  however,  after  doing  them 
some  damage,  pushed  by  them  with  little  loss. 

Tliey  sent  messengers  to  Genogeh^  the  home  of 
Red  Jacket,  and  to  Deowendote^  and  to  Neodakheat^ 

*  What  a  pity  that  the  name  Powhatan  was  ever  abandoned  for 
James  River !  And  we  can  hardly  withhold  regret  that  the  name 
Senecayuga,  instead  of  Tanghannoek,  was  not  retained  for  these 
falls  ! 


TAUGIIANNOCK  FALLS—CAYUGA   LAKE.         73 

informing  their  friends  and  allies  that  an  enemy 
was  in  their  land. 

Before  the  Delawares  arrived  at  Genogeh,  word 
had  been  sent  to  Owasco,  (now  Auburn,)  and  to 
Onondaga,  the  home  of  Canassatego,  informing  him 
that  his  most  bitter  foes  were  on  his  track  thirsting 
for  revenge. 

Starting  from  his  security,  and  gathering  a  band 
of  warriors  around  him,  he  hastened  to  Owasco  and 
rallied  a  few  more  of  his  followers.  Crossing  the 
lake  at  Wasguas,"  he  arrived  with  his  men  at  Ge- 
nogeh,  where  the  inhabitants  had  ah-eady  been 
alarmed  and  were  awaiting  him  in  council. 

Eed  Jacket,f  then  a  mere  lad,  was  there,  Geno- 
geh  being  his  birthplace,  and  thus  early  became  fa- 
miliar with  warlike  councils,  in  which  in  after  years 
he  became  so  conspicuous  as  an  orator. 

At  the  head  of  at  least  two  hundred  braves,  Ca- 
nassatego marched  from  Genogeh  southward  and 
soon  fell  in  with  the  enemy.  There  were  frequent 
skirmishes,  the  Delawares  always  managing  to  keep 

*  The  Indian  name  for  the  spot  now  called  Cayuga  Bridge. 

f  Red  Jacket  (whose  Indian  name  was  *' Sa-go-ye-wat-ha,"  "He 
keeps  them  awake  ")  was  born  near  the  famous  spring  of  Canoga,  in 
1V50. 


74    TAUGHANKOCK  FALLS — CAYUGA  LAKE. 

a  way  open  for  retreat.  Being  followed  all  day, 
they  came  at  niglit  to  the  stream  which  we  have 
seen  bore  the  name  of  Ganunguenguch,  or  in  Eng- 
lish, Senecayuga,  as  indicating  the  fact  that  it 
flowed  through  the  territories  of  two  tribes  and  was 
in  part  named  by  both. 

The  Del  a  wares  pitched  their  night-camp,  without 
fire,  between  Perry  and  "Waterburgh.  Here  on  the 
morrow  they  found  themselves  confronted  by  a  band 
of  the  Neodakheats,  (or  Ithacans,)  who  were  just 
on  the  other  side  of  the  stream.  Immediately  they 
discovered  the  Ganungueuguch  coming  upon  them 
from  the  west.  At  the  same  time  the  scouts  of 
Canassatego  were  approaching  on  the  north. 

Thus  hemmed  in,  they  had  no  retreat  but  toward 
the  lake.  Attempting  this,  Canassatego,  by  a  sud- 
den advance,  anticipated  them  and  marched  up  to 
meet  them  on  the  left  bank  of  the  stream. 

The  Ganungueuguch  pressed  in  from  the  west, 
coming  down  on  the  left  bank  of  the  stream  beai*- 
ing  the  same  name,  while  the  N'eodakheats  were  on 
the  opposite  (or  south)  side. 

The  precise  spot  of  the  first  encounter  is  un- 
known.    Doubtless  the  conflict  raged  along  the  left 


TAUGHANNOOK  FALLS — CAYUGA  LAKE.    75 

bank,  for  peril aps  a  mile,  from  what  is  now  Halsey- 
ville  to  the  falls. 

The  stream,  being  flooded  by  recent  rains,  could  be 
crossed  with  difficulty,  and  the  Neodakheats,  wdth 
their  arrows  and  war-clubs,  were  ready  to  defend 
the  other  bank. 

Coming  at  length  to  the  gorge  above  the  falls, 
the  unfortunate  Delawares  attempted  to  cross  at  the 
place  where  W.  B.  Dumont's  house  now  stands,  but 
they  were  again  repulsed.  Driven  along  the  shore, 
they  pressed  on  toward  the  lake,  feeling  thankful 
that  the  ever-deepening  gorge,  with  its  precipitous 
rocks,  defended  them  from  one  body  of  their  foes. 
Approaching  the  falls,  they  found  their  old  foes, 
whom  they  had  supposed  to  be  behind  them,  were 
,  now  in  their  front  prepared  to  give  them  battle. 

Here,  then,  took  place  the  last  encounter. 

The  young  Taughannock  and  his  band  deter- 
mined to  sell  their  lives  as  dear  as  possible.  Death 
in  some  form  was  inevitable,  and  they  resolved  to 
meet  it  like  warriors. 

In  the  encounter,  Taughannock,  striking  down 
Ganungueuguch,  sought  to  close  with  Canassatego 
himself.  Breaking  through  the  circle  of  braves 
which   surrounded   him,   he   precipitated  himself, 


76    TAUGHANKOCK  FALLS — CAYUGA  LAKE. 

knife  in  hand,  upon  his  deadly  foe.  He  inflicted 
several  mortal  wounds  before  he  was  finally  over- 
powered and  struck  down  by  the  attendants  of  the 
chief. 

Tradition  tells  us  that  his  bleeding  but  not  yet 
lifeless  body  was  thrown  over  the  precipice  into  the 
depths  below  the  falls,  and  that  most  of  his  band 
shared  his  fate.  But  few  escaped.  Some  were 
taken  and  tortured.  Two,  who  were  strong  and 
well-favored,  were  adopted  by  the  Cayugas,  who 
had  lost  friends  in  the  battle. 

The  more  common  version  is,  that  Taughannock, 
after  he  was  overpow^ered,  was  reserved  for  torture, 
and  thus  perished  on  the  brink  of  the  falls  ;  that  the 
Ganungueuguch,  into  whose  country  he  had  made 
his  incursion,  and  whose  chief  he  had  killed,  and 
especially  the  followers  of  Canassatego,  on  whom 
he  had  sought  and  taken  revenge,  engaged  in  the 
torture  with  unusual  delight.  That  Taughannock 
sang  his  death-song,  defied  his  enemies,  rejoiced 
that  he  had  killed  so  many  of  the  foes  of  his  nation, 
hurled  back  defiance  at  his  tormentors,  and  died 
with  a  bravery  as  savage  as  was  the  ferocity  of  his 
torturers.  That  when  dead,  his  remains  were  not 
honored  by  being  consumed  by  fire,  as  was  usual. 


TAUGHANNOCK  FALLS— CAYUGA  LAKE.    77 

but  were  thrown  over  the  precipice,  to  be  deyoured 
by  wild  beasts  or  waste  away  unburied. 

Be  these  things  as  they  may,  thus  came  the  Dela- 
ware name  Tanghannock  to  be  affixed  to  the  falls 
within  the  region  of  the  Cayugas,  and  to  supersede 
that  of  Ganungueuguch,  or,  in  English,  Senecayuga, 
which  originally  and  more  appropriately  belonged 
to  them. 

Nor  is  this  derivation,  or  the  history  of  this  name, 
more  strange  than  the  manner  in  which  Greek 
names  were  carried  all  over  Asia  and  the  East,  by 
tlie  expeditions  of  Alexander ;  and  the  way  in 
which  the  Latin  language  was  extended  by  the  Ro- 
mans over  Western  Europe,  and  even  England. 

Taughannock  fell,  but  his  name  lives  in  the  falls, 
the  most  beautiful  object  in  the  country  of  his  ene- 
mies, where  he  died  to  wipe  out  the  disgrace  of 
his  nation's  defeat  and  shame,  and  to  avenge  his 
own  personal  wrongs. 

Such  is  fame,  whether  in  civilized  or  savage  life. 
It  is  the  cost  of  blood  or  toil  that  for  the  time 
seems  to  fall  fruitless  to  the  ground,  but  lives  in 
after  times,  springing  up  and  bearing  tlie  laurels  of 
imperishable  memories. 


GEOLOGY  OF  TAUGHANNOCK. 

The  following  account  of  the  geological  features 
of  the  ravines  at  Taughannock,  has  been  carefully 
compiled  from  several  volumes  of  geological  sur- 
veys, but  principally  from  the  large  work  which 
forms  Volume  IV.  of  the  Natural  History  of  the 
State^  which  contains  a  very  full  and  accurate  ac- 
count, by  Professor  Hall,  of  the  formation  of  the 
Fourth  Geological  District,  in  which  he  treats  at 
length  of  the  structure  of  the  rocks  at  Taughan- 
nock,  and  gives  an  engraving  of  the  fall. 

The  descriptions  of  the  various  formations  are 
given  nearly  in  the  words  of  Professor  Hall ;  and 
while  they  are  peculiarly  valuable  to  the  student  of 
geology,  they  will  be  found  interesting  and  instruc- 
tive to  all. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  Taughannock  affords  a 
remarkable  example  of  the  power  of  comparatively 
small  bodies  of  water  to  make  vast  excavations  in 
the  solid  rock. 


GEOLOGY   OF   TAUGHANJSTOCK.  79 

GEOLOGICAL  ACCOUNT. 

Taugliannoek,  the  highest  perpendicular  fall  of 
water  in  the  State,  is  one  of  the  numerous  cataracts 
of  the  Portage  group.  The  upper  part  of  the 
group,  being  composed  of  sandstone  of  a  much 
harder  nature  than  the  lower  part,  produces  cliffs 
and  waterfalls  in  all  the  streams  passing  over  it. 
Nowhere  else  do  we  meet  with  more  beautiful  cas- 
cades or  more  grand  and  striking  scenery.  The 
pedestrian  often  finds  his  course  impeded  by  a  gorge 
of  several  hundred  feet  in  depth ;  and  in  the  very 
bottom  of  this,  now  scarcely  perceptible,  is  the 
winding  stream — the  only  representative  of  the  once 
powerful  torrent  that  has  excavated  the  deep  chan- 
nel. Farther  on,  above  or  below,  he  may  see  the 
little  stream  dashed  over  a  precipice,  and  almost 
disappearing  in  spray  before  it  reaches  the  bottom ; 
here,  however,  it  gathers  itself  in  a  deep  pool,  from 
which  it  flows  on  quietly  as  before,  or  gurgling  and 
dashing  through  the  fragments  of  the  fallen  cliffs, 
finds  its  way  into  the  gently  sloping  valley  of  the 
softer  shales. 

At  Taughannock  an  immense  chasm  is  formed 
into  which  the  water  descends  perpendicularly  two 


80  GEOLOGY  OF  TAUGHANNOCK. 

hundred  and  fifteen  feet,  from  the  bottom  of  which 
we  see  the  amphitlieatre  of  rocks  rising  aronnd  ns, 
and,  by  the  effect  of  perspective,  closing  over  onr 
heads. 

The  black  sliale,  visible  for  eighty  feet  above  the 
Tully  limestone,  is  succeeded  by  more  than  two 
hundred  feet  of  the  next  series,  consisting  in  the 
lower  part  of  a  mass  of  silicious  shale,  and  above 
alternating  with  argillaceous  sandstone. 

The  surfaces  of  this  rock  are  often  rippled,  and 
covered  with  minute  fragments  of  vegetables,  which 
seem  to  follow  the  course  of  the  marking,  and  ac- 
cumulate or  diminish  with  the  ripple  wave.  The 
same  appearance  is  presented  by  a  beach  of  sand, 
where  the  ebbing  tide  leaves  fine  fragments  of 
vegetable  matter,  arranged  in  quantity  and  direc- 
tion proportionate  to  the  wave. 

One  can  almost  fancy  himself  still  upon  the 
shore  of  some  quiet  bay  or  arm  of  the  sea,  where 
the  waves  of  the  receding  tide  have  left  these  little 
ridges  of  sand,  which  on  their  return  will  be  oblit- 
erated and  mingled  with  the  mass  around.  The 
shells  and  fragments  and  the  clouded  sand  all  lie 
around  him  with  a  freshness  of  appearance  that 
might   almost  make   him  doubt.     But  his  foot  is 


GEOLOGY  OF   TAUGHANNOCK.  81 

upon  the  firm  rock,  and  his  Iiand  can  not  obliterate 
the  faint  wave-lines,  nor  remove  a  single  shell  from 
its  place. 

Every  thing  is  firm  and  fixed,  and  he  is  forced  to 
recollect  that  millions  of  ages  have  rolled  on  since 
this  shore  was  washed  by  the  sea. 

How  beautiful,  how  simple  and  grand  is  this  ex- 
hibition !  and  how  much  does  it  illumine  the  mind 
as  to  the  mode  of  production  of  these  older  forma- 
tions which  have  been  considered  so  obscure. 

Here  was  an  ocean,  supplied  with  all  the  materi- 
als for  forming  rocky  strata;  in  its  deeper  parts 
were  going  ^on  the  finer  depositions,  and  on  its 
shores  were  produced  the  sandy  beaches  and  the 
pebbly  banks.  All,  for  aught  we  know,  was  as 
bright  and  beautiful  as  upon  our  ocean  shores  of  the 
present  day;  the  tide  ebbed  and  flowed,  its  waters 
rufiled  by  the  gentle  breeze,  and  nature  wrought  in 
all  her  various  forms  as  at  the  present  time,  though 
man  was  not  there  to  say.  How  beautiful ! 

Although  the  rocks  of  this  group  have  a  thick- 
ness of  one  thousand  feet  or  more,  still  they  contain 
few  fossils,  and  may  be  examined  in  many  localities 
without  discovering  any.  Indeed,  unless  very  strict 
3* 


82  GEOLOGY   OF  TAUGHANNOCK. 

search  were  made,  one  would  be  likely  to  pronounce 
tliem  non-fossiliferons. 

In  general  character,  the  fossils  differ  essentially 
from  those  below. 

The  Tully  limestone  and  shale  below  disappear 
in  Cayuga  Lake,  four  miles  below  Ithaca,  the  black 
shale  extending  about  two  miles  further  south. 

These  layers  of  sandstone  furnish  the  finest  flag- 
stones in  the  country,  being  of  any  required  thick- 
ness, often  twenty  feet  in  length,  and  five  to  ten  in  ^ 
width. 

The  numerous  and  picturesque  waterfalls  of  the 
western  part  of  the  State  are  intimately  connected 
with  the  modern  action  of  rivers  and  streams  in  ex- 
cavating and  deepening  their  channels.  That  every 
fall  of  water  is  receding  by  wearing  back  its  bed 
will  admit  of  demonstrative  proof,  wherever  obser- 
vations have  been  continued  for  any  length  of  time. 
Even  the  short  period  of  four  or  five  years  has 
been  sufficient  to  show,  in  many  instances,  a  con- 
stant, gradual  recession,  varying  with  the  quantity 
of  water  and  the  nature  of  the  rock.  The  greatest 
amount  of  water  does  not  always,  however,  appear 
to  be  attended  with  the  most  rapid  recession ;  for 
w^here  the  stream  is  so  small  as  to  be  entirelj^  frozen 


I 


GEOLOGY   OF  TAUGHANNOCE.  83 

during  winter,  the  effects  of  ice  on  the  strata  seem 
even  more  efficient  than  the  wearing  of  water. 

The  loosening  of  masses  near  the  edge,  at  least, 
enables  the  water  afterward  to  remove  them  with 
greater  facility. 

Where  we  find  these  falls  upon  streams  half  a 
mile  from  their  junction  with  a  large  lake,  it  is 
difficult  to  conceive  how  they  have  once  com- 
menced their  operations  on  its  margin,  and  we  are 
readily  disposed  to  admit  any  hypothesis  that  will 
account  for  the  previous  excavation  of  a  lateral 
valley  to  this  distance  from  the  main  one.  Where 
these  channels  expand  rapidly  toward  their  outlets, 
and  slope  gradually  upward,  it  seems  a  fair  infer- 
ence that  some  agency  other  than  the  wearing  of 
the  stream  has  had  a  share  in  producing  its  pre- 
sent condition  ;  but  where  we  find  a  regular  chasm, 
with  perpendicular  and  nearly  parallel  sides,  with 
a  fall  of  water  at  its  extremity,  we  are  compelled, 
from  all  analogy,  to  admit  that  the  stream  has  been 
the  agent  producing  it. 

At  Taughannock,  there  seems  originally  to  have 
been  a  broad,  shallow  depression,  in  which  the 
stream  commenced  flowing  toward  the  lake. 

In  its  passage,  it  first  produced  a  series  of  falls 


84  GEOLOGY   OF  TAUGHANNOCK. 

and  rapids,  but  finally  receded  so  as  to  form  but  a 
single  fall.  This  is  caused  by  the  higher  strata 
being  so  much  harder  than  those  below  that  a  firm 
table  is  formed  of  these,  while  those  beneath  are 
undermined. 

Although  there  may  have  been  originally  an  in- 
dentation at  this  point  from  the  valley  of  Cayuga 
Lake,  yet  there  seems  conclusive  evidence  that  the 
stream  has  been  the  chief  agent  in  producing  this 
immense  chasm. 

The  numerous  seams  freely  admit  the  water, 
which  during  winter  is  frozen,  and  thus  from  the 
whole  face  of  the  cliiF  immense  quantities  are  de- 
tached. In  this  way  the  upper  portion  is  left  pro- 
jecting beyond  the  lower  till  it  is  broken  ofi*. 

The  first  process  is  constant  ;  and  immense 
masses  of  fragments,  some  scarcely  less  than  fifty 
tons,  may  be  seen,  which  have  fallen  down. 

The  lower  of  the  two  more  prominent  arenace- 
ous strata,  about  half  way  up  the  clifi",  is  the  one 
presenting  the  fine  casts  of  striae,  alluded  to  in  the 
description  of  these  under  Portage  group.  (Wat. 
Hist.  K  T.,  Part  lY.  p.  336.) 

JBeautifid   specimens   may   be   obtained   at  this 


GEOLOGY  OF  TAUGHANNOCK.  85 

place  after  tlie  falling  of  a  mass,  or  by  approach- 
ing the  stratum  at  some  accessible  point. 

Many  of  the  strata  in  the  channel  of  the  stream 
above  the  fall  present  these  casts  in  great  perfec- 
tion. 


POETKY  OF  TAUGHANNOCK. 


"  Why  on  Niagara  lavish  all  your  lays  ? 
Come,  heavenly  Muse,  and  sing  Taughaxkock's  praise." 

SONG  OF  THE  WATERFALL. 

BY   MATTIE    WINFIELD    TORKEY. 

In  the  gloom  and  shade  of  the  forest  deep, 
Where  the  rocks  lie  piled  in  a  frowning  steep, 
Where  the  sun  comes  rarely  nor  lingers  long, 
The  waterfall  chanteth  its  ceaseless  song. 

"I  come,  I  come !  from  my  rocky  bed, 
Through  the  densest  shade  of  the  forest  led  ; 
'Neath  the  trailing  boughs  that  are  bending  low, 
And  the  tangled  grasses  swift  I  go. 

''I  rush  through  the  caves  where  the  shadows  sleep, 
I  glide  o'er  the  pools  that  lie  still  and  deep, 
I  sparkle  and  dance  in  the  sunlight  gay, 
And  murmur  a  song  to  beguile  my  way. 

*'I  come,  I  come!  from  the  mountain  height 
Where  the  sun  rests  warm  as  he  sinks  at  night, 


POETRY  OF  taughakkock:.  87 

From  the  dewy  mead  and  the  flow'ry  burn, 
I  come,  I  come !  but  I  ne'er  return. 

"In  the  sounding  depths  of  this  forest  dim, 
Whose  arches  reecho  my  ceaseless  hymn, 
I  leap  with  a  glad,  an  exultant  song, 
O'er  the  fatal  verge  I  have  sought  so  long. 

"The  dizzying  whirl  of  the  blinding  spray 
Enshrouds  me  quite  as  I  hasten  away, 
'Neath  the  frowning  banks  that  are  high  and  steep. 
Till  I  lose  myself  in  the  lake  so  deep." 

The  rays  of  the  sun  came  shivering  through. 
And  the  silvery  vapors  were  curled  anew. 
While  the  tide  formed  many  a  snowy  wreath, 
Ere  it  broke  in  foam  on  the  rocks  beneath. 

And  the  headlong  plunge  of  the  ceaseless  tide 
As  it  madly  leaped  down  the  chasm  wide, 
With  its  endless  din  and  its  busy  strife, 
Methought  was  an  image  of  human  life. 

TAUGHANNOCK— THE  RIVER  AND  FALL. 

BY    LEWIS   HALSEY. 


Rippling  and  flashing,  now, 
Foaming  and  splashing,  now. 
Wanders  the  streamlet,  its  banks  bright  with  flowers ; 


FDETRY   OF   TAUGHANNOCK. 

Skipping  so  merrily, 
Singing  so  cheerily, 
Lingers  'mid  Nature's  most  beautiful  bowers. 


Gleaming  and  glimmering, 

Shining  and  shimmering, 
Glowing  with  purit}'-,  splendor,  and  light ; 

Now  sinking  fearfully. 

Sadly,  and  tearfully. 
Into  the  depths  of  the  gathering  night. 


Dark  cliffs  are  covering, 

Shadows  are  hovering 
Over  the  shivering  streamlet  below ; 

Terror  soon  banishing. 

Dangers  all  vanishing. 
Soon  it  subsides  to  its  usual  flow. 


Eddying  pettishly, 

Smiling  coquettishly ; 
Now  its  waves  rise  again  only  to  sink ; 

Sportively  wandering. 

Seemingly  pondering 
Whether  to  leap  o'er  the  terrible  brink. 


POETRY   OF  TAUGHANJSTOCK.  89 


Shifting  and  shivering, 

Quaking  and  quivering, 
Glides  the  sad  stream  o'er  the  horrible  steep ; 

No  murmur  muttering, 

Foamy  wings  fluttering. 
Sinking  in  mists  to  the  darkening  deep. 

VI. 

Oft  we  are  wondering, 

Blind  in  our  blundering, 
"Whence  is  thy  power  to  charm  and  delight  ? 

Still  thou  art  haunting  us, 

Ever  enchanting  us, 
Vision  of  beauty  which  bursts  on  our  sight! 

VII. 

Emblem  of  purity. 

Through  all  futurity. 
While  upon  mortals  thy  beauties  shall  shine. 

Making  us  lowlier. 

Humbler,  and  holier. 
Nature's  true  worshipers  ever  are  thine ! 

From  Moore's  Rural  New-Yorker. 

TO  TAUGHANNOCK. 

BY   II. 

Bright  visions — thoughts  of  beauty  and  of  song. 
Come  to  my  mind  unbidden ;  as  I  view 


90  POETRY   OF   TAUGHANKOCK. 

Thy  gentle  flow,  thy  silvery  spray,  thy  rocks 

Majestic,  and  thy  far  extending  chasm. 

Riven  broad  and  deep  by  Nature's  mighty  hand. 

How  many  years  have  passed  away,  since  first 

Thy  waters  gave  this  steep  majestic  plunge, 

No  tongue  can  tell,  no  history  can  show. 

Perhaps  since  first  Creation's  hand  attired 

The  dark  and  formless  earth,  and  bade  the  streams, 

The  rivulets,  to  spring  from  mountain  sides 

To  wander  through  the  valleys  to  the  sea. 

These  rocks  and  woods  have  echoed  mournfully 

Thy  ceaseless  roar,  thy  spirit-stirring  song. 

May  no  rude  hand  mar  thy  wild  loveliness ! 

But  let  the  hearts  of  those,  who,  ages  hence. 

Shall  gaze  upon  thy  wondrous  sheeted  form. 

Feel  awe  as  deep,  and  reverential  love. 

As  did  the  wild  untutored  forest  child, 

When  he  beheld,  with  mingled  love  and  fear, 

Thy  beauty-clad  majestic  cataract ; 

And  well  he  loved  to  watch  thy  ceaseless  flow. 

And  hear  thy  never  silent  thunder  tones — 

Reclining  'neath  the  leafy  forest's  shade. 

And  turning  oft  to  view  the  pleasant  shores 

Of  bright  Caj^uga,  which  he  loved  to  call 

His  happy  hunting-grounds. 


POETRY   OF  TAUGHANNOCK.  91 

ODE  TO  TAUGHANNOCK.     ' 

BY    LIDA    MEDDIC. 

Poets  have  sung  in  rapturous  numbers 

Of  numerous  famed  cataracts  over  the  world, 

But  the  Muses,  methinks,  are  deep  in  their  slumbers, 

If  tliy  "  cadenced  white  waterfall  silvered  and  curled,'* 

Does  not  make  them  to  sing,  with  a  heart  all  aglow, 

Of  the  beauty  above  and  the  beauty  below. 

With  eyes  far  too  dreamy  for  aught  save  thy  beauty, 
I  see  the  white  column  of  watery  snow, 
So  slowly  descending  and  ceaseless  in  duty. 
To  join  the  swift  rushing  of  wavelets  below, 
That,  by  a  charmed  circle  of  silvery  mist, 
Ever  rising  and  falling,  so  often  are  kissed.^ 

I  hear  thy  grand  voice  in  melodious  anthem. 

Resound  with  the  praises  of  "  God  and  the  free," 

Amid  the  dim  arches,  and  echo  on  echo 

Shall  ever  be  heard  by  the  evergreen  tree, 

Of  a  song  that  is  endless,  a  song  that  is  true. 

Of  a  spirit  that  fosters  the  "  red,  white,  and  blue." 

0  sweet  lovely  scene !  for  the  high  and  the  lowly. 
Thy  phases  so  wondrous  are  made  to  exist ; 
Blessed  boon !  to  view  the  face  of  the  Holy, 
In  the  hues  of  the  rainbow  or  forms  of  the  mist, 
Mixed  with  things  of  earth  in  compounds  so  rare, 
That  with  heaven  and  angels  we  seek  to  compare. 


92  POETRY   OF  TAUGHANNOCK. 

Imagery  paints  with  warm,  busy  fingers, 
A  picture  for  hope  that  vies  with  the  past, 
And  memory  points,  as  the  vision  still  lingers, 
To  dreams  far  too  bright  and  too  lovely  to  last ; 
But  thy  name,  dear  Taughannock,  shall  never  deca}^, 
And  thy  beauty  grow  brighter,  as  time  wears  away ! 

From  the  Ithaca  Citizen  and  Democrat. 

EXTRACT    FROM    BOTANIZING. 
A  Reminiscence  of  1862. 

BY   L.    L. 


Soon,  the  narrow  ledge  behind  them, 
They  approach  the  great  Taughannock  : 
Hear  the  roaring  of  its  waters. 
Like  the  sound  of  many  thunders  : 
See  the  sparkling  foam-clouds  waving. 
Like  a  vail  of  misty  whiteness : 
See  the  mighty  walls  of  granite, 
Towering  upward,  towering  upward  : 
See  the  waters  leaping,  dashing 
From  the  lofty  ledge  above  them. 
Thoughts  of  grandeur  and  of  beauty 
Fill  each  heart  to  overflowing. 
For  the  thunder  of  the  waters 
Has  a  power  like  that  of  music. 
Breathes  a  fairy  spell  around  them, 
Sends  a  thrill  to  every  bosom. 


POETllY  OF  TAUGHANNOCK.  93 

Filled  with  awe,  they  gaze  delighted, 
And  a  still  voice  speaks  within  them — 
A  small  voice  speaks  gently  to  them — 
Low  in  tone  but  full  of  power : 

''  Glorious  art  thou,  0  Taughannock  ! 
In  thy  majesty  and  beauty, 
In  thy  wondrous  weight  of  waters. 
In  thy  towering  walls  of  granite, 
In  thy  ceaseless,  wild  commotion. 
In  thy  vail  so  white  and  misty. 
In  thy  rainbow-sparkling  foam-cloud. 
In  thy  sweet,  eternal  music  !" 

TAUGHANIC     FALLS. 

?Y    REV.    HENRY   PARKER. 
I. 

Ye  bards  and  travelers  !  Oh !  talk  no  more 

Of  Scotland's  misty  crags,  and  linns,  and  lakes. 

Nor  tell  us  how  the  waters  at  Lodore 

Come  down,  nor  how  the  Rhine  in  fury  breaks. 

Nor  how,  at  Reichenbach,  the  torrents  pour. 
And  all  the  solid  ground  at  Staubbach  shakes : 

I  care  no  more  for  these,  nor  sigh  to  see 

The  Falls  of  Terni  and  of  Tivoli. 

II. 
I've  read  enough  of  these,  and  seen  Niagara, 
Which  is  the  king  of  cataracts  forever, 


94  POETRY   OF  TAUGHANNOCK. 

And  it  is  certainly  a  sight  to  stagger  a 
Poor  poet's  or  a  painter's  best  endeavor ; 

And  other  falls  I've  seen,  but  such  a  crag  or  t 
Remarkable  cascade,  beheld  I  never, 

As  that  which  gave  me  quite  a  poet's  panic, 

When  late  I  gazed  upon  our  own  Taughanic. 


III. 
Roll  on,  Taughanic' s  wild  and  shouting  stream, 

Here  darkly  winding  in  thy  gloomy  deeps. 
And  there  reflecting  back  the  sunny  gleam 

That  slants  athwart  the  cliffs  and  dizzy  steeps. 
As  wild  and  varied  thou,  as  is  the  dream 

That  hovers  o'er  the  couch  where  beauty  sleeps — 
As  wild  and  fearless  thou,  as  those  whose  claim 
To  this  our  land  first  gave  to  thee  thy  name. 

IV. 

'Tis  sweet  to  look  on  thee  when  summer's  morn 
Hath  touched  thy  lordly  battlements  with  gold, 

And  when  the  mists,  that  of  the  night  are  born. 
In  rosy  wreaths  and  clouds  are  upward  rolled ; 

'Tis  sweet  to  see  thy  walls,  with  ruin  worn, 

O'erhung  with  fragrant  pines  and  gray  with  mould. 

All  silvered  with  the  moonbeams,  cold  and  white. 

Or  blushing  in  the  torches'  ruddy  light. 

v. 
Thine  amphitheatre,  ascending  wide. 
Calls  up  a  vision  of  the  storied  past — 


POETRY  OF   TAUGHANNOCK.  95 

The  chariots  coursing  swiftly,  side  by  side, 

Within  the  Coliseum's  circle  vast, 
The  gladiator  who  in  silence  died, 

The  shower  of  garlands  on  the  victor  cast. 
The  deadly  stroke — the  shout — the  cruel  throng — 
I  gladly  turn  from  thoughts  of  death  and  wrong. 


I  love  to  think  that  in  thy  rocky  walls. 

Where  stands  the  strangely  perfect  Gothic  Dooi", 

The  genii  have  reared  their  magic  halls, 
With  crystal  column  and  with  pearly  floor. 

And  fountains,  where  the  tinkling  w^ater  falls. 
And  arching  roof,  with  jewels  studded  o'er — 

A  mystic  realm  in  secret  silence  bound, 

Until  the  spell  to  open  it  is  found. 


1  love  to  think  that  flitting  fay  and  elf 

Are  hidden  in  thy  darkling  nooks  and  dells, 

Or  that,  beneath  the  cascade's  jutting  shelf 
A  spirit,  matchless  in  her  beauty,  dwells. 

And  wraps  these  misty  robes  about  herself, 

And  ever  sings,  and  weaves  her  wondrous  spells, 

Until  revealed  at  some  fond  dreamer's  call — 

The  lovely  Undine  of  the  w^aterfall. 


TAUGHANNOCK   HOUSE, 

TAUGHANNOCK   FALLS, 
jr.    S.    HALSEY,    Proprietor. 


This  favorite  Hotel,  having  been  this  season  enlarged,  refitted,  and 
refurnished,  is  now  open  for  the  accommodation  of  visitors. 

All  that  can  make  a  hotel  attractive  and  interesting  to  tourists  or 
pleasure-parties  may  here  be  found. 

The  Taughannock  House  is  situated  just  opposite  the  Falls,  two 
and  one  half  miles  from  the  village  of  Trumansburgh,  and  ten  miles 
from  Ithaca. 

Cayuga  Lake  boats,  touching  four  times  per  day  at  the  landing 
near  the  Falls,  connect  with  the  New-York  Central  and  the  New- 
York  and  Erie  Railroads.  A  carriage  will  be  in  readiness  at  the  land- 
ing to  convey  visitors  to  the  hotel. 

The  far-famed  Cayuga  offers  ample  accommodation  to  the  sports- 
n>an  for  fishing  and  boating. 

Being  off  from  the  line  of  direct  communication  with  the  Atlantic 
cities,  near  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  Cayuga,  surrounded  by  a  pure, 
clear,  and  bracing  atmosphere,  it  presents  peculiar  inducements  to 
travelers  in  search  of  a  healthful  summer  residence. 

Particular  attention  will  be  given  to  orders  for  rooms  during  the 
summer.  Address, 

J.  S.  HALSEY, 

Trumansburgh,  New- York. 


ACCIDENT  INSURANCE. 


THE   ORIGINAL 


TBAVELERS'    INSDBANCE    COMPANY, 

.      OF  HARTFORD,   CT., 

INSURES   AGAINST 

ACCIDENTS  OF  ALL  KINDS, 

At  low  Eates  of  Premium. 


CASH  CAPITAL,  $500,000, 

'With  Surplus  of  over  $150,000. 


Policies  issued,  insuring  against  all  kinds  of  accidents,  traveling  or  other- 
wise, for  any  term  from  one  month  to  five  years,  for  any  sum  from  $500  to 
$10,000  in  case  of  fatal  accident,  or  $3  to  $50  weekly  compensation  in  case  of 
non-fatal  disabling  accident,  at  premiums  ranging  from  $3  to  $60  per  annum.  A 
liberal  discount  on  three  and  five  year  policies.  General  Accident  Tickets  insur- 
ing for  $5000  or  $25  weekly  compensation,  sold  at  25  cents  per  day. 

Oldest   Accident    Insurance    Company  in  America. 

g^"  Over  fifty  thousand  policies  issued,  and  upwards  of  fifteen  hundred 
losses  paid^  in  first  two  years  of  the  business — including  thirty-four  total  losses, 
in  which  the  large  sum  of  $121 ,500  was  realized  for  less  than  $700  in  premiums. 

J.  G.  BATTEKSON,  President. 
KODNEY  DENNIS,  Secretary. 

Policies  written  at  five  minutes'  notice,  at  agencies  in  all  cities  and  principal 
towns. 

WM.  AUSTIN,  Agent  at  Trumansburgh. 


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